El Dorado County Resilience Digest

Cal Fire will be testing use of German environmental start-up Dryad Networks’ “ultra-early” wildfire detection technology to improve fire detection speeds. A pilot program will test 400 of Dryad’s sensors in the largest of Cal Fire's 10 demonstration forests—Jackson Demonstration State Forest in Mendocino County.

Asphalt pavement formulated with recycled plastic has successfully survived heavy truck traffic and the atmospheric rivers of the winter of 2022-23 after a section of California State Route 99 flooded in January.

El Dorado County agencies will receive a portion of the $142 million in grants, which will go to projects intended to enhance carbon storage while restoring the health and resilience of existing and recently burned forests.

Residents of south county communities on April 30 and May 6 will have the opportunity to learn about the Neighbor to Neighbor program recently implemented by the West Slope Foundation.

The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians is partnering with Cal.net Inc., an internet service provider, to bring fiber broadband infrastructure to the Shingle Springs Rancheria.

Three miles in three different sections of the Mother Lode force main will be replaced by Teichert Construction with completion by August 2024, according to an update heard by the El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors.

With a surge in inquiries and permit applications for whole house generators, the city of South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission will discuss whether noise policies should be revisited by the city council.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and California Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil will speak at an event in May that will help residents understand new wildfire mitigation, insurance, and home inspection laws.

Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil's Senate Bill 754 passed out of committee by a vote of 15 to zero. It restores a prior rate-making and rate design methodology by the California Public Utilities Commission to ensure funding for small rural telephone companies continues to cover their costs.

The South Lake Tahoe council passed an ordinance combining special events and temporary uses and voted to enter a lease for new snow removal equipment..

Facing the challenges of fire, rain and snow, the Georgetown Divide Public Utilities District staff continues to move forward with the district’s capital improvement plan.

For most Californians, the sight of aircraft spewing neon pink liquid over flaming trees and brush has become a hallmark of aggressive wildfire suppression campaigns. But some forest advocates say the substance does more harm than good. A federal lawsuit could reshape how the U.S. Forest Service battles wildfires throughout the western United States.

More than 30 students could be seen last week on a parcel of land near Diamond Springs wielding firefighting equipment, digging fire lines and hacking through vegetation in a mock-fire scenario.

Rain on snow events bring unique challenges to wastewater operations at Lake Tahoe. As streets and meadows flood, stormwater seeps through manholes and into the sewer system.

More than 100 buildings in the South Lake Tahoe area have been inspected for structural integrity over the past week following record snowfall too heavy for some structures to support.

South Lake Tahoe is making a $3.5 million investment into new snow removal equipment.

El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Leikauf proclaimed a local emergency for the major winter storms in February and March.

Lake Tahoe is in the midst of one of its snowiest seasons ever. A multi-day blizzard dropped more than 10 feet, and another storm has entered the region.

While most locals are hunkered down, 22-year-old Tony Gallardo is running into the blizzard with his “little Jeep that could.”

On its 172nd publishing anniversary, the Mountain Democrat is the lone survivor of the Gold Rush era that once had 19 other publications available before 1858. The newspaper is also the oldest business in El Dorado County.

Big things are in store for the South Lake Tahoe Library. A grant of $410,000 was awarded to for its Safe and Secure project and an additional $205,000 is being matched by El Dorado County.

Late at night a cell phone lights up, its ring alerts one of several volunteers from Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue—a lost skier is in need of help.

The county will hire a consultant to find ways to meet increasing demands for services and communications amid calamities, which the Board of Supervisors suggested could be improved during its Feb. 14 meeting.

Along with several other counties, El Dorado governments, some nonprofits and houses of worship can apply for funding from FEMA’s public assistance program due to impacts from severe winter storms.

Cuppa Tahoe’s Sandra Santané stood before the South Lake Tahoe City Council to raise issues she has encountered over the last few months with power outages. She wasn’t the only concerned business owner.

The Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit captain who was burned when a crew transport truck he was working on caught fire says the incident changed the way he looks at burn patients.

Pioneer Community Energy, a community choice aggregator serving 156,000 accounts in the counties of Placer and El Dorado, has issued its first-ever municipal non-recourse Clean Energy Project Revenue Bonds through the California Community Choice Financing Authority.

Delivery has resumed in the south Meyers and North and South Upper Truckee neighborhoods and mail is no longer being held at the post office, officials said.

When external factors cause a power outage, there are often calls to underground power lines. While undergrounding may seem logical, there is more to consider.

Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the U.S., according to FEMA, and mountain communities are at heightened risk.

Steve Leighton, fire chief for Meeks Bay and North Tahoe fire protection districts, says the best way to stay safe is to plan and be prepared before a weather event arrives.

When the power goes out, especially for prolonged periods of time, being prepared can help you reduce anxiety and stay safe.