Butte County Grand Jury reports include groundwater, oil trains and disaster preparedness

Oroville >> The 2014-15 Butte County Grand Jury has submitted final reports on 11 subjects, including finances at the cities of Chico and Oroville and the safety of trains carrying oil through the county.

The Grand Jury also looked at managing groundwater and if the county was prepared for extended power outages following solar storms or electromagnetic pulses.

The report was the final action of this year’s panel. Presiding Judge Kristen Lucena of the Butte County Superior Court discharged the panel after thanking them for their service.

The Grand Jury’s foreman, Dan Hutfless of Chico, noted in the report’s preface that there was high juror turnover in this year’s panel. He wrote turnover was an issue for at least two years and was possibly due to the volunteer jurors not realizing the time commitment involved.

Hutfless suggested having some current jurors serve a second term may help. Such holdovers would bring experience that could help promote greater juror efficiency, help facilitate report writing and ease pressure on other jurors.

After the previous jury left, the clerk selected new volunteers to fill the 19-member panel. Paul Lentz was selected as foreman. The panel included two jurors who served over the past year, Darlene Davison of Magalia and Laurie Truitt of Paradise.

The panel also includes Carroll Ragland of Oroville, the wife of District Attorney Mike Ramsey. Ramsey said Friday that Ragland would recuse herself if the Grand Jury is called to consider criminal indictments to avoid any conflicts of interest.

He noted the Grand Jury rarely hears such matters these days, with no indictments considered last year.

Groundwater progress

With drought continuing and increased reliance on groundwater, the Grand Jury took an in-depth look at the way the county is managing groundwater. The conclusion was that the county and its Department of Water and Resource Conservation are doing a good job.

Soon, the county will need to help craft a plan for sustainable groundwater, working with nearby counties.

The Grand Jury recommended those meetings happen soon.

Paul Gosselin, water department director, said he agrees a broad discussion on groundwater will be important.

He noted that the Grand Jury put together a “concise report” after learning a lot about all of the issues surrounding groundwater today.

The full report can be found at: http://goo.gl/0XuQmu. The report on groundwater begins on page 139.

Jurors also recommended the county start talks with leaders from other groundwater basins to move ahead with groundwater management.

Gosselin agreed that in-depth conversations will take place and should be on the agenda soon.

“They really hit a good point on continuing and broadening the inter-county discussions,” he said.

The report provides a good overview of groundwater issues, including declining groundwater levels since 2012. As of yet, ground subsidence is not a major issue in the county, the report states.

One of the recommendations by the Grand Jury is that the water department continue to receive funding for staff.

Preparing for disaster

Four of the Grand Jury’s reports looked at potential disasters that could affect public health and safety. Two of the reports reviewed two drills that county agencies conducted regarding a mass evacuation following an explosion and coping with the Ebola virus.

The Grand Jury also warned about the possible consequences if a train carrying hazardous materials, such as Bakken crude oil from the upper Midwest, derails in the county. It noted county resources wouldn’t be able to manage a significant derailment into a body of water or into a populated area.

The panel estimated 3 million gallons of oil are shipped weekly through Feather River Canyon. Based on the report’s figures, that is the equivalent of more than 333 tank trucks that service gas stations.

Underscoring the issue was a derailment in November that spilled 11 railcars of corn. The report notes track owners, Union Pacific, have increased track inspections on the route and is planning to replace 36 miles of track between Keddie and Lake Oroville.

Remarking that some measures require state or federal action, the Grand Jury’s recommendations centered on being prepared for oil spills, including developing a Feather River response plan with Plumas County.

The report also noted there was no comprehensive inventory of rail bridges in the state, although the state has hired two inspectors. It called on the county Board of Supervisors to press the state for inspections of critical bridges.

Shocking concerns

The Grand Jury also looked at if the county was prepared for possible long-term power outages, including those caused by solar storms or electromagnetic pulses. It reported that there was a 12 percent chance of a crippling solar storm in the next 10 years.

It found there were procedures for major power outages, but noted there wasn’t a long-term plan for Butte County Jail or for tracking inmates out of custody on tracking bracelets.

The Grand Jury called on agencies to backup and secure electronic systems against an electromagnetic pulse. It also recommended placing information on the county Office of Emergency Management’s website so residents can also protect batteries and electronics.

The report also includes information from a blog run by a company selling disaster preparedness supplies.

Under the law, elected bodies have 90 days to respond to the report while elected officials and department heads have 60 days.

June 19, 2015

Chico Enterprise-Record

By Ryan Olson