Angora Fire -- erosion-building issues

unedited Oct. Tahoe Mt. News article:

By Kathryn Reed

One eye is on the sky, the other on the slope above. At least that's the case for anyone in the vicinity of runoff from the Angora Fire.
Erosion is the next big concern.
Wood chips, fiber rolls and silt fences are the norm in the burn area.
The Forest Service scattered hydromulch on 636 acres and put wood and rice straw on other areas. On Gardner Mountain, the agency is letting the natural layer of pine needles be the absorbing agent.
South Lake Tahoe Public Works Department hired California Conservation Corps crews to line areas of Gardner Street with sand bags. The city this month is beefing up its storm drainage system in that neighborhood and also around nearby South Tahoe High School.
The City Council on Oct. 2 passed an ordinance that prohibits water from properties in other jurisdictions from entering its system largely because city officials don't believe the Forest Service has done enough to contain potential runoff from Forest Service lands that border the city.
Last month City Manager Dave Jinkens wrote to local Forest Supervisor Terri Marceron and her boss Regional Forester Bernie Weingardt, stating "... the City is concerned that the Forest Service is not addressing future potential impacts of the wastewater residues and debris residues that are left over from the Angora Fire."
As of press time, Jinkens had not received a response from them. The Tahoe Mountain News had not heard from either Marceron or Weingardt as of press time either.
By the end of the month, two devices to keep debris out of storm drains will be installed near the old ski lift at the high school that abuts houses on Gardner Mountain. Two catch basins exist now, but officials don't think it will be enough.
"Seventy-six percent of what burned is hydrophobic soils. It won't absorb any water," said John Greenhut, city public works director, as he toured the area.
The city is also putting in a retention pond at the bottom of Viking Way and beefing up how it catches water that flows down Gardner Street.
TRPA late last month gave the city access to $847,000 in water mitigation funds to deal with Angora erosion issues. The city hopes to recoup costs through grants or from other agencies. The TRPA dollars had been earmarked for other projects.
The Forest Service told the Tahoe Mountain News it believes what needed to be done to stop run-off from the looming the wet season has been accomplished.
"The area around Gardner Mountain was not identified as a landslide or mudslide potential. There's a lot of re-growth on the forest floor," said Rex Norman, Forest Service spokesman.
Hydromulching occurred in the Angora ridge area, which is steeper and does not have as many trees to drop needles. The mulch is a soil stabilizing substance that feels like mist when it hits the skin. No seeds or fertilizer were part of the mix because mule's deer, manzanita and other flora are sprouting from the blackened terrain.
Trees on Gardner Mountain have been tagged for removal, but the Forest Service is done with harvesting for the year.
"Some are marked as something to keep an eye on. Some will recover and some won't,” Norman said. "A burned tree can remain standing for decades."
In the residential part of the burn area, El Dorado County officials are dealing with homeowners who don't want trees to be removed. By the end of the September, more than 3,100 tons of hazardous trees had been taken away.
Twenty-nine lot owners are resisting the county's tree removal process. They must attend an abatement hearing on Oct. 11 where forestry experts for both sides will go before a judge to state their respective cases on whether the trees are dead or alive or whether they should stay or go.
Even though a tree may be green on top, that doesn't mean it's alive. In some of the hottest areas of the summer fire, the sap boiled, so water and nutrients can't be drawn into the tree to nourish it.
The county contends public safety dictates the trees removal, plus, it became liable for them when it took over debris removal responsibility for the property owners.
Much of what was hauled out of the area was recycled, including 6,134 tons of concrete and 2,001 tons of metal. Another 56,297 tons of ash and debris were removed, according to Gerri Silva, head of the county Environmental Management Department.
Early this month, 100 sites had received the last of seven stickers needed to begin building. An erosion control waiver needs to be signed before a building permit is issued. This means the property owner is responsible for erosion, not the county.
Todd Thalhamer, operations chief with the California Integrated Waste Management Board, is a regular in the burn area. His crews are working 10-hour days to get erosion control measures in place. The sites are rated on a scale of one to four. Sites with a score of one are flat and pretty much just need wood chips. Those that rate a four are usually steep and require a specific design from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
When it rained in mid-September, Carry Loomis watched water flow into her foundation forms. She and her husband, Tom, and their 12-year-old child lost their home on Coyote Ridge Circle.
They are rebuilding, but it hasn't been easy. Loomis is critical of the county.
"I feel like they didn't expect people to turn around so fast and rebuild. Those of us who did ran into complications," Loomis said. "It felt like roadblocks were thrown up arbitrarily."
County Supervisor Norma Santiago acknowledges the Building Department has had some hiccups, but says the permitting process has been streamlined to better handle the influx of questions, complaints and paperwork since Angora.
"We need to improve the communication process between the county and homeowners," Santiago admitted.
She expects about 20 homeowners to pour foundations before the end of the year. Her dream is to have 100 new homes occupied by Christmas 2008.
Loomis is disgusted with flammable material being strewn about the burn area. She disagrees with the Forest Service laying down hay and TRPA mandating wood chips be scattered about.
She's happy to see the county and TRPA allow a grading-only permit. It wasn't something she and the other early builders were able to participate it.
Rebuilding has been a full-time job. She wonders how households with small children or with both adults working manage. Time is eaten up by such tasks as going to the fire marshal and finding out he's leaving for vacation, picking out a bear box, going to South Tahoe Public Utility District for a $300 water meter.
"It's been a frustrating process. Everyone is saying everyone is doing the best they can, but in my opinion the best isn't good enough," Loomis said. "We have a long road ahead of us."