Cloudy with a chance of rain…and maybe a little flooding.
After three years of extreme drought, rain fell in California this week, enough for run-off from mountain creeks and streams to flow over a few Colusa County roads and swell the Sacramento River up the banks of its massive levee.
“This is the Colusa I grew up with,” said Mayor Greg Ponciano, who, along with Councilman Daniel Vaca, worked with Colusa Public Work crews on Tuesday to clean trash, plastic, and other debris from the side of the levee before it washed downstream to endanger communities and wildlife. “We just forgot what it looks like because of the drought.”
According to the National Weather Service, most of California is currently seeing precipitation amounts that occur about every five years, but it’s the kind of weather local residents are no strangers to, officials said.
Colusa County, City of Colusa, and City of Williams officials said they will constantly monitor weather conditions and take appropriate measures to minimize risk to the public.
Colusa County Public Works Director Mike Azevedo said rain typically causes a few problems, including temporary road closures and rockslides, but it is greatly desired this time of year.
“This is just going to be a normal winter,” Azevedo said. “We need it.”
Colusa County has had on and off rain for the past week, with more rain expected in the coming days.
Old Highway 99W was closed north of Maxwell on Monday due to water over the roadway at Lenahan Road, but was reopened early Tuesday morning. Motorists are advised not to cross any road closure barriers, officials said.
Also on Tuesday, City of Colusa Public Works, Colusa police, and the two Colusa council members removed several truckloads of debris from a former homeless camp after the people living there were forced to evacuate.
City, county, and state officials inspected the levee recently where individuals living in the camp had dug into the bank for use as a latrine but determined the damage did not pose a threat for levee failure.
But now that the people have fled (most seeking vouchers for temporary housing) and the majority of debris has been removed, Colusa Police Chief Josh Fitch said the city will be better able to keep the unhoused from entrenching themselves in that area again after the water recedes.
“The state will be making some repairs on the levee and they will not allow them to be there,” Fitch said.
After the Department of Water Resources’ first formal snow survey on Jan. 3, the good start to winter – despite the flooding – has inspired only cautious optimism that the state may recover this year from the drought.
State water officials are still urging residents not to relax water conservation efforts they may have adopted during the past three years because a warm February or March could cause the snow to melt too soon and flow to the ocean, leaving California thirsty later in the year, particularly for agriculture uses.
“Only in California can you have a flood emergency and a drought emergency at the same time,” Ponciano said. ■