Casitas up 15 feet+backstory on lack of water from storm
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 12:47 pm
I hiked to Coyote Launch ramp and took a peek at the lake. The lake is up 15 feet. One more foot and the “road” we drove on to the launch ramp will be under water. The diverter is not running and here is the full story as I know it to be about that
Two years ago and three years after the Thomas fire A contractor was asked to give a bid on the replacement/repair of a wooden structure that was used to reinforce the Robles diversion and was burned/damaged in the Thomas fire. It was built in case to much water is coming down the canyon and is overwhelming the dam He was contracted by the Casitas water board to do the work and he had put material on site with a date to start from the board when it was stopped. Another person on the board had separately from the main board contracted a different contractor who under bid the project that the other contractor had a signed deal with from the entire board. Can you say breach of contract? And?
So 5 years after the fire nothing it appears was done. The first contractor went up the river on the Jan. 9th or 10th and has a 2 minute video on face book showing some of the washed away burned retaining wall laying downstream of the over whelmed diverter and this story as I have relayed it.
I was told by the lake staff that they are working crazy hours at the site to remove the silt and debris from the system. Digging a diversion canal in the silt to get the water diverted. A diverter for the diverter?They are hopeful that the band aid will be in place in a week to get some more water into the lake.
When I gazed from the Coyote launch ramp went across the lake to where the 150 is. All I could see was where the water and rocks on the opposite hill from the launch ramp had flowed uninterrupted from the hilltops past the road and down to the lake in areas. It looks like that ½ mile of the 150 is buried for a while I would think as you aren't supposed to drive past the barriers at Santa Ana. creek across the 150.
Because I was able to go in to the lake I was able to drive over Santa Ana creek. At it's present flow now I stopped and looked between the cement walls of the bridge and you can only see light through one of the the three tunnels because of the wood stacked up on the other side of the 150. The water coming over the road would have been something to see from the lakeside. 20 foot waterfall into the campgrounds? In summary It was all routine maintenance that killed the whole system at this lake. With 5 years to fix it all the blame goes totally on the board. Criminal in the case of stewardship for the last 15 years or so.
Ripa
Two years ago and three years after the Thomas fire A contractor was asked to give a bid on the replacement/repair of a wooden structure that was used to reinforce the Robles diversion and was burned/damaged in the Thomas fire. It was built in case to much water is coming down the canyon and is overwhelming the dam He was contracted by the Casitas water board to do the work and he had put material on site with a date to start from the board when it was stopped. Another person on the board had separately from the main board contracted a different contractor who under bid the project that the other contractor had a signed deal with from the entire board. Can you say breach of contract? And?
So 5 years after the fire nothing it appears was done. The first contractor went up the river on the Jan. 9th or 10th and has a 2 minute video on face book showing some of the washed away burned retaining wall laying downstream of the over whelmed diverter and this story as I have relayed it.
I was told by the lake staff that they are working crazy hours at the site to remove the silt and debris from the system. Digging a diversion canal in the silt to get the water diverted. A diverter for the diverter?They are hopeful that the band aid will be in place in a week to get some more water into the lake.
When I gazed from the Coyote launch ramp went across the lake to where the 150 is. All I could see was where the water and rocks on the opposite hill from the launch ramp had flowed uninterrupted from the hilltops past the road and down to the lake in areas. It looks like that ½ mile of the 150 is buried for a while I would think as you aren't supposed to drive past the barriers at Santa Ana. creek across the 150.
Because I was able to go in to the lake I was able to drive over Santa Ana creek. At it's present flow now I stopped and looked between the cement walls of the bridge and you can only see light through one of the the three tunnels because of the wood stacked up on the other side of the 150. The water coming over the road would have been something to see from the lakeside. 20 foot waterfall into the campgrounds? In summary It was all routine maintenance that killed the whole system at this lake. With 5 years to fix it all the blame goes totally on the board. Criminal in the case of stewardship for the last 15 years or so.
Ripa
