LAKEPORT, Calif. – With Lake County and the rest of the state in the midst of another dry winter, the Board of Supervisors this week extended a local emergency declaration due to the drought and also extended a second emergency proclamation that resulted from a damaging early December storm.

Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe went to the board on Tuesday to ask for the emergency declaration extensions.

Last March 4, the Board of Supervisor initially passed the proclamation of a declaration of a local emergency due to drought conditions.

State law requires the board reconsider the declaration every 30 days, and in that time it's been renewed 10 times – including Tuesday's action.

Chilafoe also sought an emergency declaration extension due to the storm that began late on Dec. 10 and continued the next day.

That storm resulted in widespread flooding and road closures throughout the county, prompted the activation of the Lake OES Emergency Operations Center and led to County Administrative Officer Matt Perry issuing a declaration of a local emergency that the board ratified on Dec. 16.

Her written report to the board explained, “As your board is aware, the severity of this year's drought became apparent as our community water systems, private wells and natural resources struggled to maintain adequate water supply, was complicated by the extreme effects of the lake's algae, and the County saw impacts to local agriculture. Though our current conditions have improved with recent rains, there is much work to be done to prepare for another drought year impacting Lake County.”

She told the board on Tuesday, “We saw a little bit of rain in December,” but that has stopped for now.

Chilafoe said the state's preliminary snowpack survey didn't meet the amount needed to recover.

That preliminary survey showed a snowpack at 50-percent of normal, while 150-percent of normal is required to recover from the drought, with the U.S. Drought Monitor reporting that Northern California will remain in “extreme drought” and conditions to continue for the next year or more, according to Chilafoe's written report.

“So we're still looking at another year, if not more, of drought,” Chilafoe added.

With two county water systems still working on grant applications, continuing the emergency declaration is important, she explained.

Chilafoe told the board that Gov. Jerry Brown asked communities for a 20-percent water use reduction, which she said Lake County and the rest of the North Coast Hydrologic Region didn't meet. Her report stated that the region only reduced water usage by 12 percent in 2014, compared to 2011-13 averages.

“We’ll still need to increase our conservation efforts,” she said, adding that the county will be sitting well after its system upgrades are completed.

Supervisor Jim Steele said that during a drought the landscape dries out so much that it is susceptible to movement.

In addition to looking at saving water, he said the county should send a message to the public about best management practices to secure soil, and to the roads department that during rains soil will move into streams and so dirt roads need to be kept buttoned up.

He said the storm had a big impact on Clear Lake, sending a lot of mud into it, which he said will lead to algae blooms.

Chilafoe said the county is looking at offering a drought workshop this spring to offer conservation tips.

Steele said the county should be making outreach to groups like the Farm Bureau. Chilafoe responded that the Farm Bureau was very engaged in the county's drought task force over the summer, and that the county worked both with the Farm Bureau and the Lake County Winegrape Commission.

Supervisor Rob Brown said the Farm Bureau had more to offer the county in the way of instruction than vice versa.

“They've done a lot,” Chilafoe acknowledged.

Supervisor Jeff Smith noted that, with this year likely to see a bad algae bloom on Clear Lake, “We should be documenting this just to give credence to the Middle Creek marsh restoration project,” as well as placing sediment basins at the mouth of the creeks.

Steele said that it was more a matter of just the sediment, at which point Board Chair Anthony Farrington broke in to try to get the conversation focused on the emergency declaration.

“This does focus on that,” said Steele, referring to topsoil issues.

Farrington said that last year, the algae wasn't as bad despite it being a drought year, with Steele acknowledging that was so.

Regarding the damage from the Dec. 11 rainstorm, Chilafoe said the estimated damages throughout the county for response costs and cleanup is $4 million, a total which covers both the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport.

Chilafoe said Cal OES visited Lake County on Jan. 8 as part of the recovery and damage estimate process.

She said the county has since made its request for assistance. “We’ve not heard back. We do know that there won’t be individual assistance provided,” she said, meaning that individual homeowners who suffered damage that isn't covered by insurance policies won't have assistance available.

“This is purely for public assistance, which is damage to public infrastructure – roads, buildings, systems and so on,” Chilafoe said.

Supervisor Jim Comstock moved to extend the proclamation of local emergency for the drought, which Steele seconded and the board approved 5-0.

Comstock also moved to extend the proclamation of local emergency due to the Dec. 11 storm, which also was approved unanimously by the board.

Chilafoe's written report to the board also noted that the State Water Resources Control Board has passed statewide conservation regulations for rural water suppliers which remain in effect until April.

She reported that though local water rights curtailments have been lifted, the compliance order in place for Hidden Valley Lake's Community Service District remains in place until the district can address its junior water rights.

Chilafoe said Lake OES continues to work with Hidden Valley Lake's Community Service District, the State Water Resources Control Board and Cal OES regarding the systems status.

Lake OES also continues to work with local water districts as they seek grant funding to mitigate system issues related to the drought. “Of the seven local systems who sought grant funding, six projects have been funded as of this date,” she wrote.

“Given the circumstances, the County continues to seek State or Federal assistance for impacted systems as drought conditions persist and weather forecasts predict continued drought conditions,” Chilafoe wrote in her memo.

“Therefore, continuing the declaration of an emergency and maintaining a proactive approach to drought response is critical for area water purveyors in maintaining the health and safety of their customers – Lake County residents and tourists – and protecting our local economy. Continuing the declaration of an emergency is also required to allow the County to seek funding specifically designated for drought relief purposes, and other assistance that might be required.”

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.