Angora Fire Erosion And Runoff Risks Assessed By NRCS

Contacts:
Anita Brown, (530) 792-5644
Bill Ward, (530) 792-5616

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif., July 13, 2007—In response to the Angora Fire and the resulting impacts to the watershed, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has mobilized a team of land management specialists to assess erosion and runoff risks to private property and to propose emergency land treatment measures. The team of engineers and soil conservationists are concerned about excess soil erosion and higher than usual drainage flows that may damage structures if not diverted safely away from or around them. Emergency measures designed to protect homes and important infrastructure from runoff are being proposed as part of a federal NRCS program called the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. El Dorado County has agreed to be a Sponsor and requested this assistance from NRCS.

"Our primary goal with the EWP Program is to identify areas that are at immediate risk to localized flooding and sediment and debris accumulation," according to Jane Schmidt, NRCS District Conservationist in South Lake Tahoe. NRCS is working closely with El Dorado County, the City of South Lake Tahoe, South Tahoe Public Utility District, and the Lake Tahoe Unified School District. Proposed work is also being coordinated with efforts of the Forest Service and the California Tahoe Conservancy. The Forest Service’s BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) Report provided important watershed characteristics data to help NRCS design its proposed rehabilitation and conservation practices.

NRCS has completed a damage survey report (DSR) identifying eligible work that can be done on private lands under the NRCS EWP program, pending availability of funds. The work identified as eligible would protect homes, water tanks, roads, and other improvements from damage by excessive runoff, debris and sediment from burned areas. NRCS has estimated the cost to do this work to be about $350,000. NRCS will be requesting the funding for this work immediately, however EWP funds are not currently available nationally and it is unknown if and when funding may be made available. Congress appropriates funding for EWP.

NRCS has identified approximately 22 individual sites on private lands with homes or other improvements at risk from expected sediment/debris flows from the burned areas. These sites have been identified for a range of treatments, including placement of sand bag or K-rail deflector walls around homes and also inlets and outlets of culverts to contain drainages to existing waterways to protect these homes, improvements and roads. In addition, some existing small sediment basins will be enlarged and trash racks will also be installed to reduce chances of plugging and overflow.

Approximately 70 acres of steeper private lands in the area where homes are at risk has been identified for hydromulching to further protect the homes at risk by reducing sediment and debris runoff from these burned areas.

Work done under the EWP program is done through local sponsors, generally local units of government such as counties and cities. These sponsors are responsible to obtain all required permits and land rights and provide a 25% share of the project cost. More information on the EWP program is available at the following NRCS Web site: http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/. Other Angora Fire rehabilitation information is available at the Joint Information Center Web site (http://www.edcgov.us/angora) or their hotline at (530) 573-3473.

If requested by a Sponsor, NRCS may prepare a second DSR to evaluate the need for and eligibility of measures to capture sediment predicted to come down Angora Creek. A decision to prepare this DSR will come after more complete review of the BAER report and consultation with local sponsors and agencies in the Tahoe Basin. Angora Creek does run through natural meadows on State Parks land, which will capture a significant amount of sediment coming from the burn area. It is possible that minor modifications to the stream in the meadow could improve the sediment capturing efficiency to further protect the downstream stream corridor and Lake Tahoe. Any modifications to any part of Angora Creek and meadow areas to aid in capturing sediment before going further downstream and potentially to Lake Tahoe would require careful consideration of the impacts on the meadow and stream system.

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