FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2020
STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES FORM WORKING GROUP TO ADDRESS WATERSHED CONCERNS WITHIN NORTH COMPLEX BURN SCAR IN BUTTE COUNTY
Butte County, Ca–At the request of Butte County, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) has formed a Working Group with the help from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, Department of Water Resources, and the California Conservation Corps, to place sediment control measures to reduce the potential for the migration of ash and debris into drainages and waterways.
The goal of this program is to place devices to capture and slow transport of potentially toxic ash and debris from burned and destroyed structures, until formal removal of the ash and debris can be performed. Priority of placement will be based on the concentration of burned structures, proximity to waterways, and other physical features that influence rainfall runoff. The Working Group, with the assistance of Butte County, is working proactively to reduce risks to not only residents of Butte County, but the greater California community.
Work is anticipated to begin the week of October 19, and is expected to take several weeks. The Working Group is also collaborating with community members and other state agencies to better understand the potential impacts to the Lake Oroville watershed. The Working Group will focus on strategic areas throughout the North Complex burn scar area within Butte County, and will include private property.
The Working Group will be entering private property to install these measures under emergency authorizations. Land owners will not need to sign-up or register for this work to be performed on their property. Sediment control measures may not be installed on every property, but rather those that pose a relatively high risk to runoff.
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