Major North Lake Events
Last modified on: Wednesday, 23-Apr-2014 14:42:30 EDT
Trinity Lake Report
4/23/14 - The Bureau continues to release all inflow to the lake. After Monday's rain/snow, inflows rose over 3,000 cfs,
and guess what? This morning, outflows are over 3,000 cfs. They have been holding the lake at 2,286' since March 31, 84' below
the glory hole. The April 90-day precipitation forecast (see below) shows we continue on the border between
possibly "below normal" and probably "below normal" precipitation in the next three months.
And the Seasonal Fire Outlook (see below) says we will be in Above Normal fire conditions by the end of June.
(The terrible 2008 fire storms started June 21.)
The River Restoration spring flows start ramping up today. They should peak at 1,500 cfs. The Bureau's change order
to dam operators says to keep it there until May 30! If that turns out to be correct, that's about 110,000 acre-feet,
or about 10' of lake elevation going down the river. This does not count any of the water diverted through the tunnel.
If the tunnel matchs the river, the lake goes down 20' by end of May, and in fact, the CVP Operations Plan below
forecasts the lake to be at 2,264', that is, down 22' from its current elevation, by June 30.
See page 34 of the Operation Plan below for the forecast elevation for Trinity Lake. The bottom line is that the lake is expected
to be between 2,164' and 2,188' by November, that is, down another 100' from the current level.
Drought Information: 
Caltrans 2014 Plans for Hwy 299
Here is a map of all of Caltrans project plans for Hwy 299
for this year. You will note the "Twin Gulches" work on Buckhorn (the double hairpin turns near the bottom)
is scheduled to continue through October. Several other projects will cause traffic delays along the highway as well.
Trailhead Pizza Open !!!
Trailhead Pizza is open for the 2014 season! Come on up to Coffee Creek and enjoy gourmet pizza, calzones, salads, and lots
of other specials! Open Fridays 5p to 8p, Saturdays and Sundays 11a to 8p. Call 266-3222 for info and reservations.
Discover Hiking in the Trinity Alps
Hiking in the Trinities will leave you with life-long memories of alpine lakes, fresh air, and amazing wilderness.
You can start your exploration with our growing collection of hike writeups.
Stay tuned for Jeep trip writeups.
Bowerman Barn and Ranch Work Party
The "Bowerman Gang"
had their first volunteer workday on Saturday, April 5. A number of great projects made progress, including
installing and painting a picnic table, cleaning up the cemetery, whacking wild rose bushes in the pasture, clearing tree limbs
and rocks from the future temporary parking lot, and more! Well over a dozen people from all over the North Lake Area came to
help bring back this important historic site and tourist attraction.
The next work day is tentatively planned for June. Watch this space and the Community Calendar for details.
- A proposal has been submitted for funding for the required NEPA for a new interpretive trail at the barn.
- See the project website.
If you're interested in helping with some of the projects, contact Carol Fall at 286-2855, cjfall@ucanr.edu
Trinity Center CSD Seeking
General Manager Candidates
After three years of service to the Trinity Center CSD, General Manager Luke Lucas has decided to resign to take care
of personal business. The District Board expressed its appreciation in a special resolution adopted at the March meeting
recognizing Luke for all the hard work he performed, particularly with respect to retaining the TCVFD's excellent ISO rating.
With Luke's resignation, the General Manager position, which is required by state law, is open. The District is seeking
candidates who are willing to donate a little time to supporting their communtiy. Click for the
Notice of Vacancy that has been posted around
town, as well as the General Manager Job Description.
Candidates are urged to send a note to District Secretary Jan Bellinger as mentioned in the Notice.
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TPUD Community Workshop 3/3
Trinity PUD's General Manager Paul Hauser presented TPUD's very early plan to move
TPUD power lines out of the forest to the Highway 3 easements. The plan has "first glance"
concept approval by CalTrans and USFS.
Those attending the workshop had a lot of questions. The consensus from the group was
to move forward to the next step of the plan, which is serious discussion with the USFS.
Where appropriate and economical, sections of lines would be moved as a section
"ages out" or is in need of major repair. The entire project county-wide could take 15 years.
Here are links to large PDF maps of the power lines in the Trinity Lake area:
Existing: South Lake (3MB)
Existing: Highway 3 (4MB)
Existing: Coffee Creek/East Fork (3MB)
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Calif Drought Coverage:
A crisis with many at fault
The 2014 drought crisis has complex origins. Mother Nature has not helped, but California has been lax in
planning for decades. Below are articles about water use in California:
Trinity County Code Enforcement
Here are a few quick links to documents on the Trinity County website:
Bay Delta Conservation Plan and Delta Tunnels
Controversy continues
as more people become aware of the Governor's proposal to divert Northern Calif water south through
two 32-foot diameter tunnels under the Delta. You can read much about this plan on our Stop
the Tunnels page. Below are some recent articles and news:
