AGENCIES TO BURN MOJAVE DAM DEBRIS

SAN BERNARDINO - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) will collect and burn nearly 5,000 tons of dead trees at the Mojave Forks Dam in the Mojave River basin area beginning Monday, April 11, 2005. The agencies expect the process to take several days.

“We discussed several possible solutions to removing the material,” said Terry A. Wotherspoon, chief of the Corps’ Operations and Maintenance Section in South El Monte. “We concluded that burning it is the safest and most economical way to do that.”

The dead trees, slash and vegetation debris, some of which was left over from fires in 2003, have collected in the Mojave Dam basin as a result of recent rains. Their presence could adversely affect the dam’s water storage and dispersal functions if not removed.

Corps contractors will collect and burn the debris. The contractor will have fire crews on site to provide support for the burning operation. Both the CDF and the Mojave Air Quality Management District have approved the process.

Forestry Department officials said that residents of the High Desert and in the mountains will probably see smoke from the burning debris piles.

For additional information, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 213-452-3908.