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May 24, 2005

Water, traffic and fire protection top discussion of DEIR

by Shayla Ashmore
Managing Editor

Protecting water and dealing with traffic, housing and fire protection
were the major issues discussed during a Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission study session on the Dyer Mountain draft environmental impact report The supervisors seemed most concerned about traffic issues addressed in the report. Local and regional transportation commissions will have to deal with increased traffic along highways 32, 36 and 70, said Supervisor Jim Chapman. He said Tehama County has no vested interest in improvements to Highway 32 and Lassen and Plumas county transportation officials will have to work together to promote improvements on the highways that will bring traffic from the valleys to Dyer Mountain. abspharm.com

“If you can’t get there it’s no good,” Supervisor Bob Pyle agreed, adding the three-county regional transportation committee, on which he serves, is already reviewing the draft EIR.

County Counsel John Ketelsen said the DEIR recognizes the county has no control over some traffic impacts across county lines. He said the county must make a finding that the value of any phase of the project outweigh environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated.

Water
“There’s nothing in this project that’s worth more than the possible damage to Walker Spring and the Clear Creek Spring,” said Planning Commissioner Bob Beckett. “Anytime you have 18,000 gallons of pure water without treatment it’s the basis of Westwood in a sense and there should be nothing in the project that stands a chance of damaging that.”

He said any construction near the springs’ recharge areas should be carefully monitored and if changes can be made to avoid potential damage, it should be done now.

“Golf course with chemicals, herbicides, using affluent for watering, all those things have to be considered when you look at the importance and significance of the springs,” Beckett said. “You can’t replace those.”

The next day, DMA Resource Manager Jerry Duffy said the Westwood Community Services District is already adding chlorine to the water because it needs a new pump house.

Housing
Beckett also said the EIR must address how the developers will provide housing for 1,000 part-time low-income employees.

“Once you go through the feeding frenzy where all the properties become overvalued and highly valued well there’s going to be very little available for the migrant worker that comes through there,” he said.”

Duffy said many of the jobs will go to unemployed or partially employed county residents. He added property owners are already building new apartments in Westwood and the resort does not want to compete with private landlords. DMA will provide housing ranging from temporary employee housing in little efficiency apartments to bunkhouses.

Duffy also said rising property values have allowed homeowners to refinance and fix up existing homes.

Planning Commissioner Mark Totten, who as county planning director in 1968 worked with the consultant who first recommended a ski resort be considered for Dyer Mountain, said he made 106 margin notes on the 1,400-plus-page document. Totten said he boiled those notes down to three policy issues.

He recommended the county not endorse a county service area for fire protection. Totten said it would provide a deep pocket inviting potential lawsuits. “I think the final EIR should address the costs and concerns and the ultimate liabilities that occur between a services district and a service area,” Totten said. “They’re both good. One serves one purpose, one serves another but I think we should be cautious about using a service area.”

He recommended the final EIR spell out the differences between the developer’s deed restrictions and county development agreements and who’s going to do what.

Roads
Totten also said he would like the final EIR to provide more detail about the road system, especially where resort operators will put up to 30 feet of annual snowfall. He said the EIR should spell such issues in depth.

Duffy said village homeowners will pay for snow removal and the resort will deal with where to place snow. He said it won’t be an issue for the county.

The resort needs more than a single access and exit for fire escape, Totten said.
Duffy said the resort includes three access roads identified in the DEIR: the main entrance, a Red Ridge access that will be plowed in the winter and an access on an existing road near Mountain Meadows Reservoir.

Totten concluded the planning commission will be looking carefully at the EIR in the coming months.

News Releases

>>Environmental review officer extends comment period May 24, 2005	>>Water, traffic and fire protection top discussion of DEIR May 24, 2005
>>Planning Commission convenes in Westwood for public hearing on Dyer Mountain EIR May 10, 2005	>>Doing something new in the mountains May 24, 2005
>>Westwood PinePress Wednesday, March 10, 2004	>>San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, March 29, 2001
>>Westwood PinePress Wednesday, April 7, 2004	>>Paid Advertisement: Lassen County Times Wednesday, October 25, 2000