Tag Archive for: Wildfire Risk

Hungry goats are used to help clear brush and maintain wildfire safety at the Miramar Reservoir. Photo: City of San Diego

Goats Help Maintain Miramar Reservoir, Reduce Fire Risk

Visitors enjoy seeing the variety of wildlife when visiting the City of San Diego’s Miramar Reservoir in the Scripps Ranch community.
Recent visitors might have been surprised by an unusual group of animals:  hundreds of goats grazing near the dam.
The City’s Public Utilities Department contracted with a local company to have more than 250 goats clear dry brush to allow for inspection of the dam and help reduce fire risk.
Under human supervision, several dozen goats can efficiently and safely clear an acre of brush per day. Photo: City of San Diego

Under human supervision, several dozen goats can efficiently and safely clear an acre of brush per day. Photo: City of San Diego

Goat Herds Provide Energy-Efficient Reservoir Maintenance

Public Utilities operates and maintains dams for nine reservoirs that support the water supply for the City of San Diego. Routine maintenance and daily inspections help ensure the safety of this vital infrastructure.
Goats can play a vital role in this maintenance because they provide an energy-efficient and low-carbon alternative to mechanized equipment to remove dry brush and ensure proper visibility of the face of the dam.
Since 2005, the City of San Diego has allowed the use of goats to remove brush, which helps reduce the risk of wildfires. Goats are voracious eaters and are not picky about what they consume.
Twenty to thirty goats can clear an acre of brush in a few days. The goats eat plants down to the soil’s surface but leave root systems that help keep soil from washing away and causing hillside erosion.

Goats May Become A Regular Sight

Goats may be used at additional locations among the City of San Diego's nine reservoirs. Photo: City of San Diego

Goats may be used at additional locations among the City of San Diego’s nine reservoirs. Photo: City of San Diego

After evaluating the goats’ work at Miramar Reservoir, the City will assess the feasibility of using their services in other locations.
Private property owners with large amounts of land needing brush clearance within the City of San Diego can also use goats to remove brush on their property. They must first receive a permit from the Fire-Rescue Department. There is no charge for the permit application.
Combustible vegetation, especially dry brush, should be cleared to reduce fire risk. Any material left in its natural state will readily ignite, burn, and cause fire to move to any structure or other vegetation. This includes dry grass, brush, weeds, litter, and waste.
For more information about brush management and guidelines, visit sandiego.gov/fire/services/brush.

Heat Wave, Thunderstorms to Raise the Risk of Wildfires in California

Another heat wave and more monsoonal thunderstorms are expected to increase wildfire danger in California over the weekend and into next week.

A high-pressure system is expected to expand over the western United States on Wednesday and get stronger through Friday, according to the National Weather Service. California will be spared the worst of the heat, the weather service predicted, as the system concentrates over the Rocky Mountains.

More High-Elevation Wildfire is Sapping Western Snowpack, Study Finds

Researchers from Colorado State University focused on areas they call “late snow zones” – regions in the Western mountains where snow doesn’t typically melt until May or later.

They found that between 1984 and 2020, wildfire activity increased in 70% of these zones throughout the West. The mountain ranges studied included the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, Basin and Range, and Northern and Southern Rockies.

Why Rural Communities Struggle to Bring in Much-Needed Federal Grants

Bounded by the Bitterroot Mountains to the west and the Sapphire Mountains to the east, Montana’s Bitterroot Valley is home to renowned fly fishing streams and soaring vistas. Its forests, however, are facing the greatest wildfire risk in the entire state, with towns like Florence, Victor and Darby all in the nation’s 98th-plus percentile for risk. Yet houses continue to be built at a rapid clip, many of them in hazardous areas.

Theoretically, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion bill that funds improvements in transportation, water, energy, broadband and climate resilience projects, should be able to help.

Scientists See a La Niña Coming. What Does That Mean for the Dry American Southwest?

The wet winter the American south-west has hoped for as it battles extreme drought and heat is increasingly unlikely to materialize as scientists now predict that a phenomenon known as La Niña will develop for the second year in a row.

The weather system could intensify the worst effects of the drought that much of the region already finds itself in, including higher wildfire risks and water shortages through 2022.

Opinion: Improving Forest Health Would Create Jobs, Improve Economies in Rural California

The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting urban and rural communities across California. Congress is exploring economic recovery legislation that includes investments in workforce development and infrastructure. And in Sacramento, there have been discussions about focusing future climate and natural resource bonds on economic recovery.

As federal and state decision-makers evaluate the options, they should consider putting Californians to work on improving the health of the state’s headwater forests. This approach would alleviate economic hardships while reducing wildfire risk and generating a suite of other benefits for forest-based communities and the state.

L to R: Colter Shannon, Toby Stoneburner, Matt Perez, and Austin Wendt, stand in front of the utility vehicle they will take to Paradise, Calif. to help with water repairs from November’s treacherous Camp Fire. Photo: FPUD

Fallbrook PUD Crews Help Paradise Camp Fire Recovery Efforts

Crews from the Fallbrook Public Utility District are helping rebuild water services in Paradise, Calif. after the devastating November 2018 Camp Fire.

The Camp Fire burned 153,336 acres, destroyed 18,793 structures, caused 85 deaths and three firefighter injuries. The Camp Fire is the deadliest, most destructive fire in California’s history, according to CAL FIRE.

Colter Shannon and Austin Wendt left the FPUD yard Sept. 22 to make the 565-mile, 10-hour drive to Paradise. On Sept. 29, two more FPUD crew members, Toby Stoneburner and Matt Perez, will depart for the Butte County town. Each two-member team will spend two days driving and five days working on repairs for a total of seven days.

“I just want to help,” said Wendt. “That town went through devastation and I can actually do something to physically help. My wife and I always send backpacks to places devastated by hurricanes. For the most recent one, we sent 25 backpacks stuffed with school supplies.”

San Diego water agencies help Paradise Irrigation District

The Paradise Irrigation District is still struggling to repair the damaged infrastructure that resulted in more than 10,500 customers being issued a “do not drink” water advisory.

Two other San Diego County water agencies recently helped Camp Fire recovery efforts. Six water professionals from the Helix Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District spent one week in August assisting the Paradise Irrigation District.

Fallbrook PUD crews will bring back lessons learned to community

Their time away won’t cost FPUD a penny as their labor is reimbursed by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We’re doing this because we recognize that we are in a fire-prone area here in Fallbrook,” said Jack Bebee, FPUD general manager.

The Rice Fire in 2007 burned 206 homes, 9,472 acres, two commercial properties, and 40 outbuildings in the Fallbrook area. Bebee said he knows Fallbrook may one day need the help the crews are now providing to Paradise.

He said the crews can bring back with them some of the lessons they learn from the destruction and repair work. Bebee said the district is also working with North County Fire on emergency preparedness and the FPUD board room has been set up as an emergency command center in the event it is needed.

Wildfire Watch: Santa Ana Winds Put Southern California on Alert

The winds notorious for fueling Southern California wildfires were expected to kick up for the first time this year on Sunday night, putting the region on alert, according to the National Weather Service. The season’s first major Santa Ana winds may reach gusts of up to 75 mph in the region’s mountains, creating critical fire weather conditions through Tuesday night. Last year, the winds drove the Thomas Fire, which destroyed more than 280,000 acres in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. and took more than a month to contain.

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

Prepare Your Home for the Upcoming Fire Season

Encinitas, CA—Olivenhain Municipal Water District invites local residents to attend a workshop that will cover the fundamentals of landscaping for fire protection. This free event will be held on Thursday, October 18, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve’s Interpretive Center Honoring Susan J. Varty.

Record-Hot August, Dry Year Leave High Fire Risk In County

This month will go down as San Diego’s hottest August on record. It was the second hottest month, any time of year, in city history. The month set or tied 15 daily records for either the highest maximum or minimum temperature. The August heat follows a similarly toasty July, making the July/August combination the second hottest in city history. And the heat comes near the tail end of the second driest rainfall season on record, dating back to 1850. The heat and the prolonged dryness set up the county for a challenging fall, which historically is when the region’s biggest and most destructive wildfires have struck.