Lake County Sheriff declares state of emergency from flood, storm damage

Lake County’s flooding problems from earlier this week got a respite Wednesday when the water level at Clear Lake appeared to be holding about 1½ feet above flood level.

The recent torrential rains left the large lake at its highest level since 1998, sending water into dozens of homes and lakeside streets and forcing the Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday evening to issue advisory warnings in several low-lying areas. Lakeport evacuation orders Monday had affected about 135 people.

Flood level for Clear Lake is 9 feet, and officials had predicted it could reach 11 feet by Friday. But on Wednesday, the lake appeared to be holding between 10.49 and 10.53 feet, Lakeport Fire Capt. Bob Ray said.

“The water has pretty much about leveled out for now, until we get more rain,” he said.

Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Brooks said there were no significant issues reported during the night, and the county’s emergency operations center was operating at a reduced level.

Tuesday night the Sheriff’s Office issued an advisory evacuation notice for the Big Valley Rancheria, Lands’ End, Corinthian Bay, Soda Bay, Clear Lake Oaks, Clear Lake Oaks Keys and other nearby areas. While officials said they believed several residents had heeded the sheriff’s advisory, the number wasn’t clear.

Several dozen people stayed in a Red Cross evacuation shelter Monday and Tuesday nights in Lakeport at a local church.

In Mendocino County, a section of Orr Springs Road, a major county artery between Highway 1 and Ukiah, collapsed Tuesday morning. Residents on the west side of the slipout now must detour as much as two hours to drive to Ukiah.

Mendocino County Public Works Director Howard Dashiell said the ?slipout, located about 5 miles west of Ukiah, has continued growing to about ?60 feet wide.

Dashiell plans to install a temporary bridge across the hole as soon as possible, hopefully within weeks, he said.

The county already has two such Bailey bridges, the portable, prefabricated truss bridges designed for quick deployment by military personnel. He said the ground will be monitored for stability and any work will be halted if problems persist.