LAKE COUNTY — Time was of the essence. A collaborative effort by Lake County Department of Water Resources, California Department of Water Resources, Office of Emergency Services, Lake County Sheriff”s Office, CALFIRE, Northshore Fire, property owners and Department of Corrections crews, may have saved six to eight homes in the Middle Creek area.
“We were probably within a half an hour of losing the levee,” Supervisor Denise Rushing said on Tuesday.
On Monday morning a seal on a pipe off of Reclamation Road in Upper Lake malfunctioned, according to the Department of Water Resources (DWR). Crews worked to repair the leakage and contained the water by forming a sandbag containment pond.
According to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, Lake County officials reported a potential levee failure on Middle Creek on the north side of Clear Lake. Clear Lake/Southern Lake County had a flash flood watch in effect until 5 p.m. on Monday. Lake County Department of Water Resources Director, Scott De Leon said the department received a call at about 9:30 a.m. on Monday and had crews on site before 10 a.m.
“This situation helped reinforce how fragile these levees built 50 to 60 years ago are. We can”t take these things for granted.”
Rushing said she and the entire board of supervisors were pleased with the performance of Lake County Water Resources.
“This is a really good example of organizations working together,” she said.
De Leon said property owners and county organizations slowed the leak significantly by the time state crews arrived. At that point local entities took on more of a support role. He said he was grateful to the property owners for their efforts and without them the project may not have resulted in the success that it did.
Levees are state-owned and maintained. The state has repaired the leak and will replace the pipe when the lake level reaches 3 feet Rumsey or below, which will probably occur in late summer.
Rushing, who is involved with the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project, pointed out that wetland restoration is probably the most important project for the health of the lake.
