HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.1.22 Revised version of the July 26, 2022 Drought Situation Status Update
From:Peterson, Kelly
To:Bennett, Robin; Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Hironimus, Patrizia; Kimmelshue,
Tod; Lucero, Debra; Paulsen, Shaina; Pickett, Andy; Reaster, Kayla; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney,
Kathleen; Teeter, Doug; Valencia, Shyanne
Subject:Revised version of the July 26, 2022 Drought Situation Status Update
Date:Monday, August 1, 2022 11:18:29 AM
Attachments:Drought Situation Report_July 26 2022_Combined_revised.docx
Good morning Board of Supervisors,
Attached is a revised version of the Drought Situation Report provided to you via hardcopy at the
last Board mtg. It has been updated to reflect the number of reports that Butte County citizens have
made through DWR’s Dry Well Reporting System in 2021 and 2022.
Respectfully,
Kelly Peterson, Water Resources Scientist
Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation
308 Nelson Avenue
Oroville, CA 95965
Office: (530) 552-3588
https://www.buttecounty.net/waterresourceconservation/Home
Please click HERE to sign up for regular email updates from our Department.
Drought Situation Report
Butte County
as of July 26, 2022
County Proclamation – Resolution # 21-085. Ratified by BOS on 20JUL2021
State Proclamation – 10MAY2021
E XECUTIVE S UMMARY
Continued dry weather throughout California has led to Extreme Drought conditions in Butte
County and the North State. Butte County OEM, in response to the drought proclamation and
adoption of the drought preparedness plan has activated the EOC to level 3 (Monitor Status) in
support of both long and short term actions addressing drought in the community.
B OARD OF S UPERVISORS I NTENT
To provide the community with resources and tools that enable them to seek relief from drought
conditions and to encourage municipalities within the Butte County Operational Area to be
proactive in conservation measures and drought assistance programs. It is also the intent of the
BOS that the County will leverage to the greatest extent possible, all State and Federal drought
relief programs to support county residents in maintaining access to clean and reliable water.
D ROUGHT R ELATED R EPORTS
Butte County Public Health, Environmental Health Division, Drought Tracking Efforts
There is not a significant data trend that exists from the previous 5 years pertaining to total
number of well permits being issued, well destructions or well repairs.
For the 2021 Water Year, 121 small diameter well permits and 24 large diameter well
permits were issued.
Data does indicate that majority of the dry wells are occurring in Chico with an average
dry well depth of 110 feet.
Majority of wells subject to the N-7-22 Executive Order appear to be within the Butte
Subbasin
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Environmental Health is currently working with two small public water systems for drought
related well issues: Spring Valley School at Pentz Road and Highway 70 and Almond Grove
Mobile Home Park in Chico.
Spring Valley School is outside of any subbasin and has three wells; “North Well” is 740
feet deep with low to no water; “Pump House Well” is 760 feet deep producing 5 gallons
per minute; “South Well” is 650 feet deep producing 5 gallons per minute.
Almond Grove Well is currently being investigated for cause of no water; possibility of
electrical issues and not actual drought related issue. Well depth is unknown but pump is
at 80 feet.
Current Reported DWR Dry Well Reports
In 2021, which was the second year of the current drought, the Department of Water Resources
received 44 reports of dry wells in Butte County through the DWR Dry Well Reporting System
available at: https://mydrywell.water.ca.gov/report/Asof July 21, 2022, there were 28reports
received in the 2022 calendar year for a total of 72 reports for both years. This is a voluntary
report for residents, and does not represent all households in the County experiencing dry
household wells. These numbers also include a few reports for wells used for non-domestic
uses and some were reported for the same house in both years.
Of the 55 reporters who did answer the question on the reports about the depth of their well
over both years, 47 reports indicated wells impacted that are 270' deep or less. There were
reports of five wells with intermediate depths between 320' and 520' deep, four of those being
located in Oroville and one in Bangor. There were three reports related to deep wells, one 850’
deep in Butte Valley reported twice (once in each year) and one school in Golden Feather Union
Elementary School District in Oroville with a well 700’ deep. The number of reports by
community and year are indicated in the figure below.
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Number and Location of DWR Dry Well Reporting System Reports from 1/1/21 to 7/21/22
Number of Reports
2022
2021Total
as of 7/21
Not listed 101
Berry Creek 101
Bangor 112
Durham 022
Magalia 202
Butte Valley 112
Palermo 123
Cohasset 718
Forest Ranch 9312
Chico 12719
Oroville 91120
Total442872
The map below shows the locations of the dry wells reported to the DWR Dry Well Reporting
System in Butte County from the beginning of 2021 to July 21, 2022.
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The Water Resource and Conservation Department staff have contacted each person who filled
out the DWR reports to let them know about the OEM programs and also other resources
available to them as found throughout a number of updated Butte County websites such as:
The Water Resource and Conservation Department’s drought information page
https://www.buttecounty.net/waterresourceconservation/buttecountydroughtinformation
Butte County’s Drought information page: http://www.buttecounty.net/drought
Water Resource and Conservation Department staff are also tracking the crossover between
those who have applied to the Office of Emergency Management’s (OEM) Drought Assistance
Program and those who had submitted Dry Well reports. Approximately 30 applicants to the
Drought Assistance Program have filled out Dry Well reports as of July 21, 2022. Both
Departments are working cooperatively to encourage residents impacted by the drought to fill
out OEM applications and DWR Dry Well reports. Filling out these reports will help inform local
and state agencies on water shortage impacts to households served by wells, and will help
identify the need for local, state, or federal assistance.
Current Operations
Short Term
OEM was awarded a $1.16 million dollar grant from DWR through the Small
Community Drought Relief Program. OEM is utilizing the funds to provide potable
water to county residents through a 2 phase program. Phase one is providing hauled
water for residents with storage tanks. To date 96 people have submitted
applications to the program. (Figure1) Water delivery began on July 13. Phase 2 of
the program is currently in design and will furnish 2,500 gallon storage tanks for
residents who don’t have water storage capacity. OEM is working with Development
Services to create a scope of Work and ensure all required permits and inspections
will be properly executed.
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Figure 1.–Current applications to the Emergency Water Hauling Program
Long Term
1. Department of Water & Resource Conservation has submitted 4 grant applications
under the DWR Small Community Drought Program:
a. Feather Ridge Estates Water Systems Improvement Project – Awarded
$1,191,485, currently coordinating the grant agreement
b. Palermo Clean Water Consolidation Project – submitted
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c. Foothill Solar Community Project – submitted
d. Berry Creek School Project – submitted
2. Drought Impact Analysis Study: Completed in May 2022 and a public webinar
presentation on June 1, 2022. Recommendations from the Drought Task Force and
Water Commission will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on July 26, 2022.
Website and PIO
The Drought Task Force and DRIP Team are working on a number of efforts with Butte PIO to
provide consistent relevant information to the public.
1. The Butte County Drought Website (www.buttecounty.net/drought) has been
updated to show information on the Water Hauling program and a link to the
Department of Water & Resource Conservation’s Drought Information page for
resources on water conditions, water conservation and other resources for private
well owners.
2. The Drought Information page((www.buttecounty.net/drought) includes information
pertaining to:
a. Current Drought Assistance Programs through OEM
b. Current water level conditions
c. List of agencies tracking the drought
d. Drought Impact Analysis Study information
e. Financial Resources to Assist Residents
f. Butte County Drought Response/Drought Task Force information including
members, meetings, and agendas
3. The team will continue to create PSAs and ensure the Website reflects the most
current information.
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