A car plows through a portion of flooded roadway on Old Auburn Road outside Holy Family Church during recent rains on Oct. 16, 2016. // CH Sentinel
Citrus Heights police said a total of 13 collisions were reported on Oct. 14 in the city, more than five times the daily average.
The figure was reported by Lt. Jason Russo who noted that the collisions occurred on a weekend that brought the first significant rain of the season. Police document an average of around 700 collisions in Citrus Heights each year, or about two collisions per day in the city, according to the latest annual report provided by police to the city council.
In a statement Tweeted out by the Citrus Heights Police Department on Friday, the department said drivers are advised to use extra caution when driving in the rain and are legally required to have headlights on when windshield wipers are in use.
Police also noted that roads will be slick and visibility diminished with rain this weekend. They advised drivers to travel at a slower speed to account for increased stopping distance on wet pavement.
Although distributing over 11,000 sandbags and preparing to handle the worst weather predictions, a lead engineer reported this week’s storm had “fizzled” in Citrus Heights as of Thursday night, with some staff even being sent home early.
“With all the media noise that began on Sunday about this ‘stormageddon,’ we started the (preparation) process right away,” said Citrus Heights Principle Civil Engineer Stuart Hodgkins in a storm report to the city council, Thursday. “Actually it was more like a fizzle; it was pleasantly quiet today.”
Terry McClammy, who runs an organic community farm in Citrus Heights, also agreed, calling the storm “a dud.”
“The storm did not meet or exceed any of my expectations,” the 57-year-old farmer said Friday, although happy to have the clouds drop some free water on his crops.
While other areas outside the city and around the state struggled with flooding, toppled trees and power outages, Hodgkins credited some part of the minimal storm impact in Citrus Heights to preventative efforts over the past few years like “aggressive” storm drainage cleaning, drainage improvement projects in problem areas, as well as work by Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps members to clean out creeks.
Hodgkins said the City’s preparations began late Monday morning, with residents filling more than 11,000 free sandbags in just over 2 days, going through about 120 cubic yards of sand, according to Hodgkins.
“We had a very good setup and were well organized and ready for this ‘huge’ storm,” said the principle engineer to council members, although volunteers and sand ran a bit short at the City’s two sandbag locations. “We’ve had a lot of rain, but the wind didn’t materialize.”
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Hodgkins said staff “had two trees to address” Thursday, but that crews were left mostly raking leaves away from storm drains throughout the day, while others were sent home.
By 9 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service’s report on the past 24 hours of rainfall showed the storm had dropped 2.64 inches of rain in Sacramento. Some additional showers are expected through tonight.
Updated Dec. 10, 12:33 p.m.–
The City of Citrus Heights is busy providing storm preparation tips and getting staff and equipment ready for fallen trees, clogged gutters and flooding that often accompany the heavy winds and rain expected this week.
A car splashes through a large puddle on the side of Old Auburn Road, during last week’s rain.
“The biggest concern is the winds that are coming through,” said Regina Cave with the Citrus Heights General Services division, recalling the “havoc” caused in 2008 and 2012 by heavy rains and clogged storm drains from late leaf-drops.
“We’ll have staff waiting here for all the calls, and we’ll have field staff prepared with equipment, chainsaws, to go out and assist,” said Cave, regarding the City’s current storm preparations. “We’ll also have our tree contractor that will be located here on our campus ready for calls.”
Cave offered several preparation recommendations for residents, emphasizing the need for clearing leaves from around nearby gutters, curbs and storm drains to allow for proper drainage.
“Do not clear them onto your lawn, they need to be put in their green waste containers,” said Cave, commenting that winds and rain will just “put ’em back into the gutters.”
Cave, who serves as a management analyst for the City’s general services division, also recommends residents pick up some sandbags if their property is lower in elevation, or if their driveway is flat and tends to get some run-off into garages or front doors during regular rains. For those located near creeks, she “strongly recommends” getting some sandbags from one of the City’s two free sandbag locations, or at a hardware store.
For flooding-related issues or downed trees during the storm, residents can call general services at (916) 727-4770, although the City doesn’t respond to private property trees, unless it’s blocking the sidewalk or road, according to Cave. Trees or branches falling on power lines can be reported to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, via their outage line at (888) 456-7683.
“We’ll respond as fast as we can, as urgently as we can,” said Cave, who cautioned that in cases where the creeks are full, there will be localized flooding. “People need to keep in mind that when the creeks get really full, they have a certain capacity, and the storm drains will not drain down fast because [they’re] all going to the creeks.”
She also warned that high winds paired with soil saturation from rains will make it easier for trees to come down during the storm and recommended parking vehicles in garages, or at least on a driveway to enable free flow of water draining at the street. Keeping flashlights on hand for power outages, unplugging Christmas lights, and bringing any loose outdoor décor inside is also recommended.
The Citrus Heights Police Department is also active in preparing for the storm, with Sergeant Mike Wells sending out a press release Wednesday morning advising motorists of several locations that “historically had issues” with flooding in the past. The areas listed are Sunrise Boulevard between Twin Oaks Avenue and Woodmore Oaks, Greenback Lane between Fair Oaks Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard, Van Maren Lane between Greenback Lane and Calvin Drive, Antelope Road and Auburn Boulevard, as well as Mariposa Avenue and Highland Avenue.
The Department also referred non life-threatening calls to SMUD, PG&E and the City’s general services division. Calls to Citrus Heights General Services are typically answered by staff 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with calls forwarded to police dispatch after hours.
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Related info: Citrus Heights General Services: (916) 727-4770 (24-hours-a-day) SMUD outage line: (888) 456-7683
Late rains in Citrus Heights have brought little drought relief, with calls for reducing water consumption to continue as the summer heat approaches.
“The current Stage 3 Water Warning and call for 20 percent reduction will likely remain in effect for the remainder of 2014,” said David Kane, assistant general manager for the Citrus Heights Water District.
So far, Kane said local water users have responded to the call for reduction, showing a 16 percent decrease in water consumption between January 1 and April 30 – when compared to the most recent 5-year average.
Kane added that the District’s switch to metered water rates in 2008 was an effective tool in reducing waste, as customers began paying for water based on their actual use, rather than paying a flat rate for unlimited water.
Although acknowledging that raising water rates can be a motivator to reduce consumption, the assistant manager mentioned no plans to do so in the District — where the average user in Citrus Heights pays only about a dollar for 350 gallons of water delivered to their home.
Providing some early tips as summer approaches, the District recommends letting lawns grow a bit longer to keep soil moist, and only watering outdoors between dusk and dawn to avoid excessive evaporation during the day. Leaving mulched clippings on the lawn is also advised, as the mulch provides extra nutrients for the soil.
CHWD covers about two-thirds of Citrus Heights residents, and its water supply extends to portions of Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Carmichael, and Roseville.
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On the Net:
A full list of the Stage 3 water warnings can be viewed here.
