Page 14 - Sonoma County Gazette - January 2018

Map Identi es Areas at Risk of Flooding, Mudflows In Aftermath of Wild res
Multiple agencies working collaboratively to warn residents of risk of ooding and mud ows in identi ed medium and high risk burn areas
The devastating October wild res that swept through Sonoma County created a signi cant ood risk for people living in and nearby the burned areas until vegetation is restored. In order to help residents assess their risk and prepare for ooding, a post- re hazard map is now available at
The post- re hazard assessment map was created using a multi-agency analysis of the burn areas and identi es areas that have a high, moderate or
low hazard estimate for ash oods, mud ows and debris ows. Wild res dramatically alter the terrain and soil conditions and leave the ground unable to absorb water, creating ideal conditions for ash ooding and mud ows which become more likely during periods of intense rainfall.
“CAUTION! HIGH-RISK AREA” road signs leading into the most severely impacted burn areas are being posted with signs in English and Spanish to warn anyone entering those areas about the risk during & after rainstorms.
Bioremediation Cleaning Up Toxins After the Fires
www.SonomaCountyRecovers.org.
A discussion on Facebook got my attention. People were wondering how we could deal with toxins that were released during the re and posing a threat
to our soil, water, and air. Remediation steps had already begun. Wattles – elongated socks lled with straw – were laid out to protect contaminated water from owing into the storm drains. But that wasn’t enough. We needed to nd material for the wattles that would actually decompose and absorb toxins and protect our soil and environment.
By Will Baxx
The October restorms that blazed through Sonoma County deeply a ected
everyone and left us grappling with the question of how to respond. Having evacuated twice myself and narrowly escaped losing my house, I was searching for a way I could contribute and help heal our community.
The Right Ingredients
Erik Ohlsen of the Permaculture Skills Center and Permaculture Artisans built on a growing idea: use natural microbes to assist the cleanup e ort. In other words, make new wattles and inoculate them with microbes. Gourmet Mushrooms in Graton had the mushroom substrate needed to inoculate new wattles and was happy to contribute it to the remediation cause.
Sign up for SoCoAlert.com Residents in locations in and around the burn areas are advised to keep their cell phones turned on at all times, and to have their noti cations switched on in order to receive Emergency Warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS) and SoCoAlert. Information on NWS Advisories and Watches is available at weather.gov/alerts.
Swinging into Action
A Fire Remediation Action Coalition page was developed on Facebook. Volunteers were recruited to help construct the wattles. Chris Brokate with Clean River Alliance took the lead organizing volunteers to install the wattles. Coordination was set up with the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, Sonoma County Recovers, and others. Dr. Robert Rawson, former manager of the Graton sewer district and now with BioRemediation International Corp stepped in to lend his expertise to the project. In an unbelievably short amount of time, and thanks to tremendous community involvement, all the ingredients were in place. The Bioremediation Wattle Program was underway.
It means adjusting environmental conditions to stimulate the growth of microorganisms that rid water and soil of pollutants. Simply put, it means cleaning up toxics, often in a less expensive and more sustainable way than standard remediation e orts. In this program, bioremediation is accomplished by using microbes to break down toxins that have leached into the environment from the re and providing decomposed organic matter for the metals to bind with, thereby immobilizing them.
BIOREMEDIATION cont’d on page 15
In areas where there is limited cell service, or if a power outage occurs, Emergency Warnings from the National Weather Service will be announced on Weather Emergency Radios, which rely on batteries.
That was great, but how would we produce these new wattles?
A way I could support the re recovery emerged. As owner of Sonoma Compost, I had been working with West Marin Compost and knew they had – of all things – a wattle maker! The owners didn’t skip a beat: they immediately donated wattle socks, feedstock, and the labor to make all the wattles we needed.
Now the only thing missing was straw to “feed” the mushrooms we would put in the wattles. I’d noticed that just down the street from West Marin Compost, Lafranchi Ranch was wrapping up a pumpkin patch, leaving lots of straw bales behind. They were happy to give them to the wattle project.
Residents are encouraged to have an evacuation plan in place
So what exactly does bioremediation mean?
and make sure all family members are familiar with it.
The risks for residents in and around the burn areas include:
• Flash floods: A rapid ooding of a low-lying area in less than six hours, which can be caused by intense rainfall. Flash oods are known to roll
boulders, tear out trees and destroy buildings and bridges.
• Mudflows: Rivers of liquid and owing mud on the surface of normally
dry land, often caused by a combination of vegetation loss and
subsequent heavy rains. They can cause signi cant damage.
• Debris flows: A moving mass of mud, sand, soil, rock and water. They can
travel very quickly, and can be very powerful and destructive.
For information about being prepared visit: sonomacountyrecovers.org/rain-ready
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