Road and Lake Conditions Update
Incident: Shasta-Trinity NF Fall Storms Flood
Released: 12/14/2012
NEWS RELEASE
U.S. Forest Service ● Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area
14225 Holiday Road, Redding, CA 96003 ● Voice (530) 275-1587 ● Web: www.fs.usda.gov/stnf
Contact: Andrea Capps, (530) 242-5546
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/14/2012
REDDING, Calif., Dec. 14, 2012 - Heavy rain and strong winds that passed through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest over the past few weeks have led to potentially hazardous road and lake conditions. Motorists and boaters visiting the forest and Shasta Lake should be aware of these conditions and exercise caution when entering storm impacted areas.
On Nov. 29, 2012, portions of the Bagley Fire Area were closed to the public. These closures (listed below) remain in effect and will most likely continue for the foreseeable future. Engineers will evaluate these Forest System Roads in the coming months to determine how and when repairs might be accomplished.
· Forest Service Road 34N17 (also known as Road 27 or Fender's Ferry Road) from the McCloud Bridge to the Pit River Bridge
· Forest Service Road 38N11 from the McCloud Dam, to Kosk Creek
· National Forest System lands located in the interior of the boundary created by these roads, including National Forest campgrounds Madrone and Chirpchatter
Hikers on the section of the Pacific Crest Trail located along the northern boundary of this closure should be aware of potential hazards along the trail. Watch for downed limbs, rising water (especially when travelling near creeks), erosion along the trail, falling rock or debris, and other potential hazards.
Also, Forest Service Road 36N36 (also known as the Deep Creek Road), approximately 3.5 miles after it splits from Forest Service Road 37N60Y (also known as the Pit 4 Road) is inaccessible due to storm damage.
Boaters on Shasta Lake should also be aware of large amounts of debris throughout the lake due to extraordinarily high runoff from the recent storms. Primary areas of concern are on the Squaw Creek Arm and the McCloud Arm of Shasta Lake. 900 foot booms have been installed in both areas, one just above Monday Flat on the Squaw Creek Arm and the other near Dekkas Rock on the McCloud Arm, to help prevent more widespread impacts. While these booms cannot prevent all debris from escaping containment, they are serving as barriers to prevent large amounts of debris from entering Shasta Lake, which could affect boating considerably. The booms limit access to the upper reaches of these two arms. There are currently an estimated 70 surface acres of debris ranging from bark sized pieces, to tree stumps, to 80 foot logs. Each boom is marked with two lighted sign floats and multiple reflective obstacle markers. Additionally, 5 mile per hour buoys have been placed downstream as a pre-warning.
There is also debris in the main area of Shasta Lake, including the Sacramento Arm. Boaters should watch for debris throughout the lake. Be aware that debris might be waterlogged and therefore resting just under the water's surface out of plain sight. Additionally, due to wind patterns, boaters utilizing ramps at Antlers and Centimudi should be aware of periodic impacts of these areas with debris.
Forest Service officials are monitoring all storm impacts and forming plans for how to restore areas to pre-storm conditions. However, with the knowledge that more rains will saturate these areas in the coming months, most restoration plans will not go into effect until the spring.
For any additional questions and to monitor any changing conditions, please visit this website again or contact the Shasta Lake Ranger Station at 530-275-1587 on weekdays between the hours of 8AM to 4:30PM.
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