San Diego Wildfires 2003-2007

San Diego LAFCO

Disaster Preparedness Role

Background

• County Fire Services not required by State Law

• San Diego County divests direct responsibility for fire services in the unincorporated county (1975)

• Creates County Service Areas for fire protection services in unincorporated county/communities

• CSAs staffed by local volunteer firefighters

• SD County provided various subsidies in addition to annual property tax revenues to CSAs/FPDs

• LAFCO role limited at that time

2003 Wildfires (Cedar Fire)

• Major wildfire event, burned over 280,000 acres in San Diego County, over $1.3 Billion in damages

• Involved all aspects of multi-jurisdictional (State/County/Local) disaster preparedness:

– Local/Regional Emergency Communications

– 1st Responders, Auto-Aid, Mutual-Aid

– Equipment – planes, helicopters and engines

• Resulted in the loss of 2,200 homes and 15 lives – largest wildfire in California history*

2003 Wildfire Aftermath

• How San Diego LAFCO responded: • Conducted studies analyzing funding and coordination

for local/regional fire protection/EMS services • Produced reports with recommendations for regional

fire protection consolidation, including activation of CSA latent fire protection/EMS powers

• Collaborated with County and local Fire Agencies on plans for a County Fire Authority

• Developed Multi-Phase plan for consolidation of fire protection/EMS services in the unincorporated County

2007 Wildfires (Witch/Harris Fires)

• 2nd major fire event in San Diego County within four years, 2nd largest fire in California history

• Burned over 198,000 acres, 1,000 homes destroyed, 2 lives lost, 55 firefighters injured

• Total of 350,000 acres burned as fires merged, 500,000 people evacuated

• Revealed continued inefficiencies with regional emergency communication systems, evacuation chaos in some unincorporated communities

• Accelerated local calls for fire regionalization• Highlighted need for prioritization and funding for

effective service levels and additional equipment

San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission

Reorganization of Structural Fire Protectionand Emergency Medical Services

in Unincorporated San Diego County

M I C R O R E P O R T

San Diego County Fire Authority

• Established in 2008 by LAFCO activation of existing CSA’s latent power for fire protection and emergency medical services

• Restricted to specific unincorporated areas of county-wide CSA, covered over one-million acres

• CSA 135 (Fire Authority) contracts with CALFIRE for fire service operational responsibilities

• Replacement of volunteer firefighters with CALFIRE professionals in unincorporated areas

LAFCO Role

• Conducted Studies - Produced Macro/Micro Fire Consolidation Reports

• Assembled Advisory Task Force (Fire Chiefs)

• Municipal Service Reviews/Determinations

• Sphere of Influence Reviews/Determinations

• Dissolution of volunteer CSAs and FPDs

• Activation/Expansion of Latent Powers for Fire Protection/Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

• SOI Establishments/Amendments/Updates

• Waived LAFCO processing fees for reorganizations

2003-2018

• Recent wildfire in December 2017 (Lilac Fire), burned 4,100 acres, 157 buildings, 0 fatalities

• Demonstrated improved local/regional emergency communications and response

• Total Fire Service Consolidations Since 2003:– 6 CSAs dissolved

– 2 FPDs dissolved

– 7 Volunteer Fire Companies disbanded

– San Diego County Fire Authority/CALFIRE

– Elimination of unserved islands

Continuing Issues

• Local Control vs. Regionalization

• Inadequate Funding – Property Taxes / Fees

• Staffing levels – Volunteers / Professionals

• Local-Regional Fire Dispatch Coordination and Auto-Aid Agreements (Boundary Drop)

• Special Tax Assessments to fund Fire Services requires approval by 2/3 of local voters

• Continued Development within Wildfire Areas

Current LAFCO Efforts

• Completing Dissolution of remaining CSAs/FPDs

• Elimination of unserved islands

• Improvements for local/regional fire dispatch

• Auto-Aid Agreements (Boundary Drop)

• Property Tax Exchange Agreements

• Municipal Service Reviews

• Sphere of Influence Updates

• Encouraging Functional Consolidations

Case Studies

• Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District / County Service Area No. 107 (Elfin Forest FD)

• Pine Valley Fire Protection District / County Service Area No. 135 (Fire Protection/EMS LP Area) – San Diego County Fire Authority

• Heartland Fire & Rescue JPA (Cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, & Lemon Grove)

Rancho Santa Fe FPD – CSA 107

• Dissolution of CSA 107 volunteer fire department (Elfin Forest-Harmony Grove)

• Annexation to Rancho Santa Fe FPD

• In 1987, LAFCO placed CSA 107 within SOI of the much larger Rancho Santa Fe FPD

• 2014 Reorganization supported by both agencies, eliminated unserved islands (341 acres)

• Extensive property tax negotiations with County to achieve sustainable funding for RSFFPD

Pine Valley FPD – SD County Fire Authority (CSA 135 Fire LP Area)

• Dissolution of volunteer FPD (Zero SOI)

• Amendment to Service-Specific SOI for CSA 135 (Fire Protection)

• Expansion of CSA 135 activated latent fire protection and emergency medical services power area (SD County Fire Authority)

• Staffed by CALFIRE via contract with County Fire Authority

Heartland Fire & Rescue (JPA)

• Functional Consolidation of Fire Departments for Cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove

• 2010 JPA for organizational management of fire protection, fire prevention services, emergency medical services, and community emergency preparedness

• Consolidates Management/Coordinates Operations

• Heartland Communications (Dispatch Services)

• Unique cooperative fire services agreement provides cost containment opportunities, while maintaining local control

Q/A

What is LAFCO’s Role in Disaster Preparedness

Stephen Lucas, Butte Executive Officer

CALAFCO ConferenceOctober 2018

Yosemite

A Limited Role…until now.

• Prior to the Oroville Dam Crisis, LAFCO had little to no role to play.

• We provided occasional mapping data and shared contacts when specifically requested.

A Whole New Level of Disaster!

Butte County has had many badfires with significant losses of Property and personal injury. In 2017 the drought brought usthe Ponderosa Fire,

one of the most recent in ButteCounty that burned only 4,016 acres, but destroyed 54 buildings….

but only a few short months took us from…

too little rain…

to way too much rain!

February 2017

The Day of the Dammed!

February 7, 2017: Heavy rains inundate Oroville Lake Dam causing damage to the flood control spillway and forcing the use of the emergency spillway. Essentially free flowing uncontrolled water spills down from dam causing significant concerns about structural damages to both spillways.

February 12, 2017: The Butte County Sheriff issues mandatory evacuation of approximately 80,000 Butte County residents and 100,00 more downstream in Sutter and Yuba Counties.

Infrastructure Fails!

Get Out Now!

How Fast to Act?

Crisis Averted…cost of repairs now approaching $1B

Now What?

• A visit from the posse…and some questions?

–Department of Homeland Security

–Federal Emergency Management Agency

–CA State of Office of Emergency Services

–CA Department of Water Resources

A new paradigm and new role.

• LAFCO as CONDUIT

– DATA and MAPPING

– TRAININGS

– COMMUNICATIONS

– HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING (AB 2238 (Aguiar-

Curry) – Local hazard management.

– EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

– SHELTERING

LAFCO as CONDUIT

• One big issue for OEM is not knowing all theresources available out there to help.

• Butte LAFCO will begin a collaborativerelationship with the Butte County Office ofEmergency Management to identifyopportunities not currently identified.

• Rather than bog them down with data andmaps, we will rather maintain this data and haveit ready and available in an emergency.

DATA and MAPPING

• Provide an updated list of special district contacts.

• Provide map layers of special districts to the County to better identify stakeholders.

• Provide description of district services.

TRAININGS

• Stakeholders are periodically invited to Office of Emergency Management trainings.

• Also included are private utilities such as PGE and CalWater Service

COMMUNICATIONS

• Biggest component of effective emergencyresponse at a regional level is timely/accuratecommunication.

• Too often, very quick, false or misleadinginformation is presented on social media thatgets out in front of "official" communications.This causes the OEM to not only have to provideaccurate updates, but forces them tocounter/debunk inaccurate reports spread onsocial media.

• The LAFCO website or social media accountcould help?

Hazard Mitigation Planning

• Get involved in the Hazard Mitigation Plan process. This may also allow for some limited funding to update maps or contact protocols.

• Help you local special districts understand their role in the process.

• Reclamation District 833 FEMA reimbursement related to flooding damages.

Emergency Assistance

Consider the resources available to your special districts andif they can help during an emergency response.

Aside from the obvious (fire districts)…sewer, water, drainage, reclamation, mosquito abatement, recreation and park districts often have trained personnel and suitable equipment (portable lighting, generators, traffic control devices, etc) that could be loaned to the emergency response effort .

District personnel often have their own safety training and equipment (lighting, protective gear, radios, etc) for their district.

They could provide manpower and vehicles (dump trucks, backhoes, excavators, trucks with emergency lights) to such secondary efforts

such as manning road closures, assisting in evacuations, and in some circumstances, debris removal, and drainage repairs .

Sheltering

• Many special districts have large facilities/buildings that could be used to support staging, evacuation and sheltering efforts.

• POST DISASTER RECOVERY

• Special districts that provide back bone services such as sewers, water, and electrical services, must be an integral part of recovery efforts.

It’s Up to You?

• Our previous “limited role” will now evolve.

• LAFCO knowledge is often more valuable than LAFCO authority.

• Gotta go now… LAFCOLAFCO

City of Marysville

History and Status of Flood Protection

Ricky Samayoa, Mayor and LAFCo Commissioner

CALAFCO CONFERENCE OCTOBER 3RD, 2018

• The City is well aware of its flooding past.

• The City knows it will never expand unless the flooding problems are completely mitigated.

• LAFCo is also aware of Marysville’s flooding problems

• The City of Marysville is addressing the problem with a large levee project to protect residents and landowners in and around its boundaries

The City of Marysville is being proactive

• Marysville had a history of flooding, since the early Gold Rush days, that• worsened with impacts from hydraulic mining• • Great floods in the 1860’s resulted in the State legislature forming the

Marysville• Levee Commission by special act March 6, 1876• • The Levee Commission constructed the “Ring Levee” around Marysville• • The U.S. Government eventually passed the Jackson Act in 1917• • Locally constructed levees were improved to federal standards through

the• 1950’s as part of the Sacramento River Flood Control Project (SRFCP)• • Project was completed and turned over to the State (Central Valley Flood• Protection Board, formerly The Reclamation Board) in 1953

Historical Background

• A levee breach in the City results in rapid flooding

• • The “risk to life” in Marysville is extremely high:

• • Escape routes become impassable within 1‐2 hours

• • Entire City would be inundated within 24 hours

• • Water temperatures below 50 degrees

Project Background – “Risk to Life”

1955 Marysville Flood

1966 Flooding in Marysville

• Federal Agencies - FEMA – USACOE

• The Yuba County Water Agency and City of Marysville

• A Local Reclamation District (RD -784 in kind)

Funding A Collaborative Effort

Protects approximately 12,700 residents and criticalinfrastructure (State Highways 20 and 70, major railways)

• Marysville has nowhere to expand therefore growth occurs elsewhere in the unincorporated areas of Yuba County.

• The City’s Sphere of Influence is constrained with minimal expansion to the south only if the improved levees are completed.

• LAFCo has a policy requiring flood planning and will deny changes of organization without adequate provisions for Levees, Levee buffers and Levee Maintenance.

Yuba LAFCo Concerns

Cobb Area Multi-Water Systems Consolidation

CALAFCo Annual Conference

October 3, 2018

Yosemite, CA

More than 50%

of Lake County has Burned since 2012

Including the Valley Fire in the

Cobb Mountain Area

destroyed more than 1,300 homes and killed at least four people.

Resident Bo Stover said he won’t be around for the next big blaze. He’s tired of the

displacement and dangers, and plans to move to Arkansas.

Cobb Area County Water District Reorganization

The purpose of the Cobb Area County Water District (Cobb) reorganization is to realize government structure in a fire damaged portion of Lake County by consolidating and repairing nine separate water systems into one new unified system with a stronger rate base, management and with political accountability under the existing Cobb Area County Water District.

The underlying smaller, damaged, outdated and inefficient agencies are dissolved or disbanded.

In the end, the reorganization will benefit the community—banded together, these agencies are stronger than standing alone.

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Regionalization

Cobb Area historically has many small watersystems which lacked the economies of scale tomaintain infrastructure and to provide thenecessarily reliability to their customers.

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Cobb Area Drinking Water

Cobb Area has:

• 11 public water systems regulated by SWRCB’s Division of Drinking Water

• 1 county state small water system—Alpine Meadows

• 1 area with no regulation of water—Whispering Pines

• Individual wells

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Cobb Area Water Systems

Cobb Area CWD

Adams Springs

Pine Grove

CSA #7 Bonanza Springs

CSA #18 Starview

CSA #22

Mount Hannah

Branding Iron

Hill 9 & 10

Alpine Meado

wsTotal

Pre-fire # connections

677 77 91 177 142 36 27 17 14 1258

Pre-fire population

1403 200 267 450 400 100 90 43 50 3003

Aug 2017 #connections

500 36 84 131 55 36 27 17 12 898

Post-fire population

1403 99 267 291 40 100 90 43 2333

Service area, acres

1160 210 120 2240 130 40 40 230 20 4190

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Consolidation as Solution: what LAFCoFound

• Larger public water systems have:– Technical, managerial and financial capacity – Source and equipment redundancy– Ability to access funding– Economies of scale– Larger pool of ratepayers – Accountability to elected leadership

• Water provided by public water systems (>15 connections1) is subject to regulation by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the State of California, including regular monitoring and testing for contaminants

651 Lake County Environmental Health permits & inspects systems w/5-14 connections

LAFCo’s vision towards a Better Future

• Board of directors positions filled by the rate payers

• More community based control of the water system

• Faster and more professional service

• Economies of scale – capital improvement, O&M

• Better access to grants and loans

• Future savings in base rate across the entire system

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Cobb Reorganization/Consolidation Meets Statewide Goals & Local Needs• Meets LAFCo’s goal of creating more effective, efficient

and orderly local government by reducing the number of service providers and allowing for a stronger and more stable unit of local government accountable to rate payers and voters.

• Meets State Water Board goal of promoting and creating efficient, sustainable public water systems through the consolidation of multiple small systems into a larger stronger public system.

• Meets local needs of improved water supply

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Consolidation Makes Sense !

Jan Coppinger –

Lake County Special Districts

Calafco October 3, 2018

The Valley Fire

Disaster and partnership,The silver lining

Michelle Frederick, P.E.

Water Partnership Coordinator, Northern California

Division of Drinking Water

State Water Resources Control Board

Human Right to

Water Portal

• 7,400 Public Water Systems in CA

• Red Stars Represent Water Systems with Violations in Community Water Systems or Schools

• 90% of Violations Occur in Water Systems Serving Less than 500 connections

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/hr2w/index.html

Comparison with other utilities

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

Public Water Systems Wastewater TreatmentPlants

Electricity Utilities

900

75

7442

77% of the Community Water Systems in CA serve less than 1,000 connections

Small water systems have poor economies of scale and limited emergency response capabilities.

2018 SWRCB Drinking Water Priorities

• Decreasing systems with violations

EPA requiring 25% reduction by 2022

Voluntary/mandatory consolidation in some cases

• Decreasing unsustainable water systems through partnership/consolidation

• Stopping the formation of new unsustainable water systems

• Ensuring water systems have adequate financial capacity to deal with aging infrastructure

• Education of county planning community and emergency staff

SWRCB—Funding consolidations

• Small disadvantaged community water systems and public schools

– Eligible for grant funding, as available (up to $45,000 per connection)

– technical assistance funding

• Non-disadvantaged and non-community water systems can get 1.8% loans

• Consolidation Incentive Program for Larger Water Systems

– Consolidate Disadvantaged Water Systems with

Cobb consolidation$277,000 Emergency

State Money on Drought and Storage

Tank Failure-- Mt. Hannah

Hill Nine and TenSource Capacity

IssuesWell Drilled in Solid Obsidian

In 2014, Adams Springs Water

System had 690 counts of E.coli in

its only water source

Pine Grove Water System

was abandoned by owners and

under receivership since 1990’s

Rural, Independent-

Minded Community