Nation’s largest horizontal fish screen at Derby Dam near Reno, Nevada will support recovery of threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
WHEN:         Wednesday, September 11, 10 a.m. PST
WHERE:       I-80, Derby Dam Exit, Sparks, Nevada
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Construction of the Derby Dam fish screen will help Reclamation fulfill its mission to provide reliable water in an environmentally sound manner. This project will restore watershed connectivity and support fish movement along the Truckee River and promote the recovery of the federally threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, as well as fishing and recreation opportunities in Nevada.
Two decades of concentrated efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe have helped the threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, a fish once thought to be extinct, successfully move from Pyramid Lake, past Derby Dam, to the lower Truckee River for spawning. Installation of the screen will provide substantially improved access to important upstream rearing and spawning habitat for threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout for the first time since 1905.
Reclamation entered into a cooperative agreement with Farmers Conservation Alliance (FCA) to design, construct and commission a horizontal fish screen. The horizontally oriented fish screen will work with the diverted flow of water rather than against it, providing consistent fish protection by allowing fish and debris to move above and over the surface of the screen material.
Construction of the screen is expected to be complete in Fall 2020. The construction of Derby Dam, completed in 1905, was one of the first projects of the newly formed U.S. Reclamation Service (now Bureau of Reclamation) organized under the Reclamation Act of 1902. Today, Reclamation oversees infrastructure that delivers water to more than 31 million people and provides one out of five western farmers with irrigation water for 10 million acres of farmland.

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QUINCY, Calif. – The Walker Fire is burning on Plumas National Forest approximately 11 miles east of the community of Taylorsville, California. It is currently 2000 acres and 0% contained. California Interagency Incident Management Team 14 took command of the fire at 6 a.m. on September 6, 2019.

Additional mandatory evacuations were ordered yesterday as winds pushed the Walker Fire primarily to the east/southeast. These evacuation have been issued by the Plumas County Sherriff’s Office (through the Code Red system) for the Genesee Valley Road Corridor as well in the Ward Creek area, and the Flournoy Bridge area due to the rapid rate of spread of the Walker Fire and the unpredictable fire behavior. Residents in need of accommodations should proceed to the Quincy area and may contact the Sheriff’s Office if assistance is needed. In addition, the Genesee Valley Road is currently closed at the Flournoy Bridge.
As of yesterday, the fire was well established in the Clearwater Creek drainage and was moving upslope (to the northeast) out of the drainage. The highest priority for crews overnight was to assess and clear around structures on the western flank of the fire along the Genesee Valley Road. The fire remains east of the Forest Road 25N42.Today, crews will continue to prioritize suppressing the fire near the structures.
Gusty, erratic winds are expected to increase fire behavior by this afternoon, although humidity recoveries were fairly good overnight. The forecast currently shows a drying trend with temperatures moderating. Windier conditions expected afternoon into the evening. Possibility of thunderstorms returns next week. For updates throughout the day please see http://www.Facebook.com/usfsplumas or https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6568/.
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Media Contact:
September 6, 2019 Fire Information (530) 616-8625
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 

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Throughout PG&E’s Service Area,
Crews Have Practiced Safely and Quickly Restoring Power for Customers
 
San Francisco, Calif. — As part of its efforts to prepare customers and communities for the growing threat of wildfire, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) crews and contractors have been conducting drills in high fire-threat areas to practice restoring power after a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). As part of the PSPS program, if gusty winds and dry conditions, combined with a heightened fire risk, threaten a portion of the electric system, PG&E may need to turn off power for public safety.
 
To help prepare and respond quickly during a PSPS, crews have conducted 18 drills over the past few months. These efforts have focused on coordinating teams, inspecting electric lines for damage, and quickly restoring power. These restoration drills took place across Northern and Central California.
 
These efforts are part of PG&E’s enhanced and expanded Community Wildfire Safety Program, implemented following the 2017 and 2018 wildfires to further reduce wildfire risks and help keep customers and communities safe. PG&E did not turn power off to customers during the simulations, though nearby residents may have noticed crews, trucks and even helicopters in their neighborhoods.
 
“We know how much our customers rely on electricity,” said Aaron Johnson, PG&E Vice President of Electric Operations. “If we need to turn off power for safety, it is critical that our teams are trained and prepared so that we can safely and efficiently restore power to our customers.”
 
The full-scale drills helped PG&E crews and contractors with the challenges they often face during inspections. In the event of a PSPS,after the weather has passed and it is safe to do so, PG&E crews will be deployed via vehicle, foot and air to visually inspect the lines which prompted the PSPS event for damage and to restore power safely. Some locations require workers to travel on narrow access roads and, in locations with no vehicle access, crews also might need to hike in remote and mountainous areas to inspect equipment. Where equipment damage is found, crews will work to isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system so other parts of the system can be restored while the necessary repairs are performed.
 
“This is all about PG&E doing more, and with greater urgency, to adapt to and address the growing threat of wildfires and extreme weather,” said Mark Quinlan, Director of Wildfire Operations. “We are asking our customers and communities to prepare for the potential that we will need to turn off power for safety. We are doing everything we can to prepare, as well.”
The PSPS program includes all electric lines that pass through high fire-threat areas – both distribution and transmission. Because the energy system relies on distribution and transmission power lines working together to provide electricity across cities, counties and regions, any of PG&E’s more than 5 million electric customers could have their power shut off, even if they do not live or work in an area experiencing high winds or other extreme weather conditions.
 
How our customers can prepare

As part of these preparedness efforts, PG&E is asking customers to:

• Update their contact information at pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will use this information to alert customers through automated calls, texts, and emails, when possible, prior to, and during, a PSPS.
• Plan for medical needs like medications that require refrigeration or devices that need power.
• Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of emergency numbers.
• Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies and cash.
• Keep in mind elderly family members, younger children and pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are available at pge.com/wildfiresafety.  

 
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.comand pge.com/news.
 
 

QUINCY, Calif. – The Walker Fire is burning on the Plumas National Forest approximately 11 miles east of the community of Taylorsville, California. It is currently 2000 acres and 0% contained. California Interagency Incident Management Team 14 took command of the fire at 6 a.m. on September 6, 2019.
Additional mandatory evacuations were ordered yesterday as winds pushed the Walker Fire primarily to the east/southeast. These evacuation have been issued by the Plumas County Sherriff’s Office (through the Code Red system) for the Genesee Valley Road Corridor as well in the Ward Creek area, and the Flournoy Bridge area due to the rapid rate of spread of the Walker Fire and the unpredictable fire behavior. Residents in need of accommodations should proceed to the Quincy area and may contact the Sheriff’s Office if assistance is needed. In addition, the Genesee Valley Road is currently closed at the Flournoy Bridge.
As of yesterday, the fire was well established in the Clearwater Creek drainage and was moving upslope (to the northeast) out of the drainage. The highest priority for crews overnight was to assess and clear around structures on the western flank of the fire along the Genesee Valley Road. The fire remains east of the Forest Road 25N42.Today, crews will continue to prioritize suppressing the fire near the structures.
Gusty, erratic winds are expected to increase fire behavior by this afternoon, although humidity recoveries were fairly good overnight. The forecast currently shows a drying trend with temperatures moderating. Windier conditions expected afternoon into the evening. Possibility of thunderstorms returns next week. For updates throughout the day please see http://www.Facebook.com/usfsplumas or https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6568/.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 

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Friday, September 6 through Monday, September 9, 2019
Plumas County
 
The Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District and the Plumas County Public Health Agency are issuing a joint Air Quality Health Advisory to notify the public of potentially poor air quality conditions at least through September 9, 2019 resulting from the Walker Fire and possibly other Northern California fires. Most of the smoke is expected to travel to the northeast, but at times it could settle into the Indian Valley and possibly reach the communities of Quincy, Lake Almanor and Portola. Conditions are expected to vary from Good throughout most of the county to Unhealthy near the fire and in the smoke plume, depending on wind direction and other factors. 
 
Exposure to elevated PM2.5 (fine particulate matter in smoke) concentrations can result in eye and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, congestion, coughing, impaired lung function and chest pain, especially among sensitive individuals such as the elderly, children, people with asthma, people with heart or lung conditions, pregnant women and anyone who is exercising or working hard outdoors.

If you smell or see smoke around you, the following actions are recommended:

• Minimize outdoor activities even if you are healthy;
• Stay indoors with doors and windows closed as much as possible; run the air conditioner on the “recirculate” setting if that is an option;
• People with asthma should follow their asthma management plan;
• People with heart disease, respiratory or chronic health issues should stay indoors;
• Contact your doctor if you have symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, or severe fatigue;
• Keep airways moist and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water;
• Avoid breathing additional smoke, such as from cigarettes or barbecues.

Near real-time air quality conditions for Quincy, Portola and Chester may be found at www.myairdistrict.com (click on your location of interest in the “Local Air Quality” portion).  As you view the most recent data, take into consideration that conditions can change rapidly due to wind shifts; it is wise to monitor the smoke throughout the day and make plans accordingly.  The smoke may be visible in satellite imagery, available via www.weather.gov/sto (near the bottom of the page).
 
To sign up for the Air Quality Health Advisory email list, please visit www.myairdistrict.com.