JOINING THE FIGHT
THUNDERING TO A WIN
Community comes together to support two special teens and their families. B1
Trojans football wins in Elk Grove on last play. A6
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VOLUME 170 • ISSUE 108 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
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Photo courtesy of EID
El Dorado Irrigation District’s Flume 30 was reduced to ash by the Caldor Fire.
Millions needed to fix EID’s burned flumes Michael Raffety Mountain Democrat correspondent Rebuilding three burned wooden flumes with concrete will cost up to $17 million. El Dorado Irrigation District General Manager Jim Abercrombie Sept. 8 selected Syblon Reid to rebuild Caldor Fireburned Flumes 4, 5 and 6 totaling 725 feet. The contractor will also build an access road to them. This emergency, single-source contract is a time-and-materials contract not to exceed that amount. The reconstruction will include a mechanically stabilized wall and concrete flumes. The EID Board of Directors approved the contract unanimously Sept. 13. The last time Syblon Reid did emergency replacement was when heavy rain wiped out Flume 10 in 2017. The contractor built a U-channel concrete flume. That type of
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construction was identified by EID engineering staff as better than flumeshaped concrete sections glued together. The contractor who rebuilt Flume 44 also used U-channel construction. A press release from EID that appeared in the Mountain Democrat along with photos showed Flumes 4, 5 and 6 burned with most of them nothing but steel catwalks and a few plywood remnants. What wasn’t known then was that fire also destroyed Flume 30, which had been scheduled to be replaced next year, with Syblon Reid being the low bidder on that $8.7 million contract. This year Syblon Reid was to construct roads to bypass “The Narrows” and access Flume 30, which the contractor was due to replace in the fall of 2022. ■
See FLUMES, page A3
Mountain Democrat photos by Andrew Vonderschmidt
Crews — including staff from neighboring water agency El Dorado Irrigation District — identify a leak in a water main during repair efforts Thursday on Grizzly Flat Community Services District water infrastructure. Officials said the water district “took a pretty big hit” when the Caldor Fire tore through Grizzly Flat Aug. 16-17.
GRIZZLY STRONG a community of grit returns
Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer Repopulation of a community devastated by wildfire is multifaceted and has many moving parts, according to Grizzly Flat Community Services District general manager Jodi Lauther, an El Dorado County native who has lived in Grizzly Flat since 2005. Among many things to consider are water and power. Those who still have a home to return to will need these basic utilities. Grizzly Flat Community Services District staff is hard at work bringing the water service to bear. Many residents in the area received their water from the local utility. According to Lauther, three out of four CSD
“The people here are tough ... There’s no other way to describe them.” — Jodi Lauther, general manager of the Grizzly Flat Community Services District One of thousands of Grizzly Flat trees weakened by the fire is limbed before being felled. employees lost their homes to the Caldor Fire, including Lauther, yet they are all on the ground working hard to make things ready for returning residents. Significant components of the water system, including the water storage tanks, have been damaged or destroyed, according to a statement from the CSD. The district’s water
treatment plants were not damaged, nor was its office and its 31-acrefoot reservoir is full. “We’re getting fairly close,” Lauther said. “We are recharging the (water) system one section at a time to deal with any leaks,” she said. Once crews are confident a section of pipe is holding water they will move to the next section to test and
so on. CSD workers got a little help from EID staff Thursday when a water main break near Grizzly Flat and Sciaroni roads sent water gushing. EID’s vactor truck came in handy to clean out the street valves, sucking more than a foot of ash and rocks out of them. “We are marching ■
See GRIZZLY, page A6
No growth reported on Caldor Fire Eric Jaramishian Staff writer Overnight Monday firefighters were able to patrol the Caldor Fire perimeter and ensure the fire didn’t grow. Firefighters are now focusing on uncontained perimeters northwest of Caples Lake in the Highway 88 area, on the east side of Trimmer Peak in South Lake Tahoe and on isolated heat in and near Desolation Wilderness, fire officials reported Tuesday morning. In the west zone firefighters saw winds and day conditions Monday that allowed for increased fire activity in the afternoon and into the night.
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Three Years Straight!
Despite conditions, the blaze did not grow overnight Monday. The fire as of press time was 219,267 acres and 68% contained. Fire suppression repairs are under way on both the east and west zones of the Caldor Fire. Repair work is expected to continue into spring 2022, according to west zone Incident Commander Chief Charlie Blankenheim, who joined other officials for Monday evening’s daily briefing. “Understand we are here, we are doing a ton of work and we are going to continue to be here for you,” Blankenheim said. Areas with impacts to private property will take priority, east zone operations
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section Chief Kyle Jacobson said. Repairs in the east zone will start at Christmas Valley, North Upper Truckee Road and High Meadows areas. “We are allocating additional resources to try and take care of that repair,” Jacobson said. “We’re not turning our heads from the suppression. There is still a lot of firefight left and an increase in weather can increase fire activity.” The repopulation of the rest of Grizzly Flat continued Monday, said Kevin Pack, California Highway Patrol west zone liaison. He added that changes are anticipated in the Happy Valley and Crystal
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