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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5-16-11 DWRSTATE OF CALIFORNIA - GALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY EDM!!ND G. BROWN JR., Governor DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES 1416 NINTH STREET, P.O. BOX 94283b SACRAMENTO, CA 94236-0OOl {915) 553-5793 MAY ~ 0 ZOt1 Mr. Bill Connelly Supervisor, First District Butte County Board of Supervisors 5280 Lower Wyandotte Road Oroville, California 95966 ~®~tD OFSUP~RVISORS ~AY~~20~~ ~D~!-~,E, CALIFORNIR Dear Supervisor Connelly: .. :°~ , M received your Aprif 13, 2011, letter relaying the continuing concerns of Mrs. Gunderson with the condition of Craig Access Road. She and other residents along Craig Access Road previously approached you with their concerns in late February and early March regarding the difficulty in using the road to access and exit their properties. In letters dated March 8, 2011 and March 14, 2011, you asked me to look into providing relief for their complaints. As a result of your letters and direct contact with residents, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) added about 9 tons of base rock to 9 tons of gravel placed by residents to facilitate vehicular access on the road. DWR personnel involved in this operation inspected the results and concluded that the road is passable, especially for emergency and utility services vehicles which appeared to be a main concern. 1 asked Rick Ramirez, Chief of DWR's Hydropower License Planning and Compliance Office, to brief you on these activities which he did with a phone call on March 22, 2011. A follow-up letter dated April 11, 2011 was also subsequently sent to you. In our conversations with residents, including Mrs. Gunderson, we strived to address their concerns and afro reminded them of the conditions attached to the revocable permissions granted to them to use the DWR-awned road. Attached for your information is .the permission letter issued to the Gundersons that reads in pertinent part, "...maintenance of the existing dirt road [Craig Access Road] shall not be the responsibility of the State, and the State has no obligation to improve the road." Perhaps a source of misunderstanding is the maintenance standard that DWR has associa#ed with the road. Since the road is intended for use as a seasonal access road for periodic maintenance of the Craig Saddle Boat-In Campground and is also located in a rural area, DWR's road main#enance needs are much different than of those residents who subsequently moved to the area and have expectations of county level road standards. I am confident that DWR is abiding by the letter, and spirit, of permits provided to residents who elected to moue into this rural area. Mr. Bill Connelly Page 2 Nonetheless, DWR understands the importance of keeping road conditions from inhibiting emergency vehicle access and will continue to monitor road conditions for that purpose. As discussed in my April 1 ~ letter, DWR is also interested in a long-term solution to the concerns expressed by your constituents and will be exploring road ownership options that can involve the residents or the County. Thank you for your attention to this matter. if I can be of further assistance, please contact me at (916} 6v3-8043, or at rtorres@water.ca.gov. Sincerely, -~ ~O~Raphael A. orres Deputy Director Attachment Ni~~' 2 5 X993 Mr. Robert B. Gundersen, et al. Post Office Bax 1488 Oroville, California 9596.5 Dear Mr. Gundersen: This is in response to your existing Craig Access Road (dirt your property at Lake Oroville, enclosed map. It is understood rights from your property to the request-to allow you to use the road) for ingress and egress-to as shown outlined in red on the that you have deeded access existing dirt road. This letter will serve as revocable non-transferrable permission to you and your successors to use the existing Craig Access Road. This permission is given on the basis that maintenance of the existing dirt road shall not be the responsibility of the State, and the State has no oblication to improve the read. By accepting this permit you and your successors agree to indemnify and hold harmless, the State and the Department of Water Resources from any claims fior death, personal injury or property damage arising out of the exercise of this permission. Yf you should have further questions, please contact Vijay Nath of my staff at (916} 653-9774. S1 care , . `~~~~ 2~~ Fra k L. Conti Chief Division of Land and Right of Way Department of Parks and Recreation concurs with the scion granted in this letter. JAI ~arr~ri stru , Manager Ac '~s~tion D;ivi ion Enclosure l d, ,!