Potter Valley Community Unified School District
P.O. Box 219
Potter Valley, CA 95469
(707) 743-2101
August 23, 2021
Dear Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
The Potter Valley Community Unified School District contains the sole public source of potable water in Potter Valley. In a letter dated May 7, 2021, we asked that you consider allocating PG&E settlement funds to install a generator that would support our water system in the event of a power outage. We were disappointed to see that our request was not granted.
Over the past 4 years, beginning with the Redwood Complex fire, our campus has experienced numerous long term power outages either due to active fires or Public Safety Power Outages. Currently, our water supply is cut off during any disruptions to power. Without water, we cannot hold school due to sanitation reasons, causing significant disruption to our students who have already been affected so much by fire danger.
In September 2020, CalFire used our campus as a training area during the August Complex fires, in part because we had available indoor space with showers. In the event of an emergency, our site contains buildings with significant defensible space that could be used to shelter our students and other members of the community, or to support first responders. Without power, however, the utility of the site for these uses is significantly limited. Since October 2017, our community has had multiple experiences with nearby fires and power outages occurring simultaneously. It is time to prepare for this as an expected event.
The estimate we received to support this project is approximately $120,000. This is a large expense for a district of our size. The value to the entire community and potentially to first responders is significant in increasing resilience in our valley. Any assistance in helping us to fund this project would be appreciated. If you would like any further information about this proposed project, please contact our Superintendent, Dr. Nicole Odell, at our district office at 707-743-2101.
Thank you for your consideration.
Elaine Lindelef
President, PVCUSD Board of Trustees
Everybody supports the Board of Supervisors efforts in asking for public cooperation to conserve water in these severe drought conditions, but they have done nothing to address the two largest non-federal landholders in Mendocino County; the Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF 48,652 acres), and the Mendocino Redwood Company (approximately 228,000 acres), both of which are dependent on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) for timber project permits.
It’s understood that our county government may not have the authority to order these two landholders to temporarily stop pouring our limited water resource on their roads for dust abatement as required in their Cal Fire permits, but our Board of Supervisors could formally request a temporary moratorium of the approved/ongoing timber harvests until the severe drought condition improves. They could also ask our political representatives to intercede. Cal Fire and the JDSF both have independent authority to issue a temporary delay to any project because of special circumstances.
Road watering is a required feature in most Timber Harvest Plans (THP) requiring a state permit. For example; The Caspar 500 THP (1-20--00006-MEN, Section 2, Item 26, page 59) indicated that 2,000 to 2,500 gallons of water will be needed daily for the 229-day time period from April 1st to November 15th for dust abatement. This water drafting totals between 458,000 gallons and 572,500 gallons. That’s almost a half million gallons of this scarce water resource to be sprayed on their access roads in the THP for dust abatement. The Caspar 500 THP is only one of five approved THPs currently ongoing in the JDSF. A minimum of 8 more are under development or review at the moment, most of which have water requirements which dwarf that of Caspar 500.
The Mitchell Creek THP (1-20-00193-MEN, Section 2, Item 26, page 58) is another example that will require 4,000 to 8,000 gallons/day for road watering which in 229-days comes to a total of between 916,000 gallons and 1,832,000 gallons being drafted from locations in the Jughandle and Caspar Watersheds. The Mitchell Creek THP is up-aquifer from hundreds of residences, all of which rely on wells for their drinking water. Considering that the JDSF is only 4.5% of the Timberland Production Zone land in our county, these totals are but a fraction of total water usage for Cal Fire approved timber harvests which are mostly taking place on private property. That’s a staggering amount of water being withdrawn from the limited water resource in Mendocino County.
It would be appropriate for our county government to ask the JDSF and Cal Fire for a temporary moratorium on timber harvest activities because we all share the same water resource.
Richard Ettelson
PO Box 311
Mendocino, CA. 95460
rettelson@yahoo.com
Potter Valley Community Unified School District
P.O. Box 219
Potter Valley, CA 95469
(707) 743-2101
August 23, 2021
Dear Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
The Potter Valley Community Unified School District contains the sole public source of potable water in Potter Valley. In a letter dated May 7, 2021, we asked that you consider allocating PG&E settlement funds to install a generator that would support our water system in the event of a power outage. We were disappointed to see that our request was not granted.
Over the past 4 years, beginning with the Redwood Complex fire, our campus has experienced numerous long term power outages either due to active fires or Public Safety Power Outages. Currently, our water supply is cut off during any disruptions to power. Without water, we cannot hold school due to sanitation reasons, causing significant disruption to our students who have already been affected so much by fire danger.
In September 2020, CalFire used our campus as a training area during the August Complex fires, in part because we had available indoor space with showers. In the event of an emergency, our site contains buildings with significant defensible space that could be used to shelter our students and other members of the community, or to support first responders. Without power, however, the utility of the site for these uses is significantly limited. Since October 2017, our community has had multiple experiences with nearby fires and power outages occurring simultaneously. It is time to prepare for this as an expected event.
The estimate we received to support this project is approximately $120,000. This is a large expense for a district of our size. The value to the entire community and potentially to first responders is significant in increasing resilience in our valley. Any assistance in helping us to fund this project would be appreciated. If you would like any further information about this proposed project, please contact our Superintendent, Dr. Nicole Odell, at our district office at 707-743-2101.
Thank you for your consideration.
Elaine Lindelef
President, PVCUSD Board of Trustees
Everybody supports the Board of Supervisors efforts in asking for public cooperation to conserve water in these severe drought conditions, but they have done nothing to address the two largest non-federal landholders in Mendocino County; the Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF 48,652 acres), and the Mendocino Redwood Company (approximately 228,000 acres), both of which are dependent on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) for timber project permits.
It’s understood that our county government may not have the authority to order these two landholders to temporarily stop pouring our limited water resource on their roads for dust abatement as required in their Cal Fire permits, but our Board of Supervisors could formally request a temporary moratorium of the approved/ongoing timber harvests until the severe drought condition improves. They could also ask our political representatives to intercede. Cal Fire and the JDSF both have independent authority to issue a temporary delay to any project because of special circumstances.
Road watering is a required feature in most Timber Harvest Plans (THP) requiring a state permit. For example; The Caspar 500 THP (1-20--00006-MEN, Section 2, Item 26, page 59) indicated that 2,000 to 2,500 gallons of water will be needed daily for the 229-day time period from April 1st to November 15th for dust abatement. This water drafting totals between 458,000 gallons and 572,500 gallons. That’s almost a half million gallons of this scarce water resource to be sprayed on their access roads in the THP for dust abatement. The Caspar 500 THP is only one of five approved THPs currently ongoing in the JDSF. A minimum of 8 more are under development or review at the moment, most of which have water requirements which dwarf that of Caspar 500.
The Mitchell Creek THP (1-20-00193-MEN, Section 2, Item 26, page 58) is another example that will require 4,000 to 8,000 gallons/day for road watering which in 229-days comes to a total of between 916,000 gallons and 1,832,000 gallons being drafted from locations in the Jughandle and Caspar Watersheds. The Mitchell Creek THP is up-aquifer from hundreds of residences, all of which rely on wells for their drinking water. Considering that the JDSF is only 4.5% of the Timberland Production Zone land in our county, these totals are but a fraction of total water usage for Cal Fire approved timber harvests which are mostly taking place on private property. That’s a staggering amount of water being withdrawn from the limited water resource in Mendocino County.
It would be appropriate for our county government to ask the JDSF and Cal Fire for a temporary moratorium on timber harvest activities because we all share the same water resource.
Richard Ettelson
PO Box 311
Mendocino, CA. 95460
rettelson@yahoo.com