LAKEPORT, Calif. – A state grant will help the city of Lakeport purchase new equipment and train staff in containing hazardous materials spills.
On Tuesday, the council voted to approve a resolution accepting $35,000 in grant funds from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response, for oil spill response equipment.
At the same time, the council authorized City Manager Margaret Silveira to sign a purchase order with Global Diving & Salvage Inc. for the construction and delivery of an oil spill response trailer.
The discussion begins at the 1:07.00 mark in the video above, and the staff report begins on page 61 of the agenda packet below.
Ron Ladd, a parks lead worker in the city’s Public Works Department, introduced the item to the council.
“We're always looking for alternative funding sources to offer better services in Lakeport,” Ladd said.
Ladd, who is known for being something of a wizard when it comes to maintaining city facilities and equipment, came across the grant opportunity for the trailer through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
He said the city can receive up to $35,000, with no need for matching funds, through the program.
That funding would pay for a spill response trailer specific to Lakeport and its geography. Ladd said the trailer would be a fully stocked custom trailer for a basic response to a spill. In addition, the grant would pay for staff training for up to 10 people.
That training, Ladd added, is not for the purpose of making staffers hazmat experts, but rather to teach them how to contain a spill and keep it from spreading.
“It’s one of the best grants I’ve seen,” Ladd said.
Councilman Kenny Parlet asked if there is a penalty when spills enter into waterways or sewer systems.
Public Works Director Doug Grider said it really depends on where the source point originates. If it originated from city equipment or facility, the city would definitely be on the hook.
He said the state is coming out with new enforcements, and it appears that the city will start being responsible for all of its drainage systems. So if a spill enters Clear Lake through one of the city’s conveyances, culverts or ditches, there could be liability for the city.
“We're still researching that. The smoke hasn't cleared on that,” Grider said.
Grider said the spill response trailer would be of great assistance to the city in being able to contain any kind of authorized spill.
He said the equipment it would have would be different than what the city already has on hand. While the city stocks a very large supply of spill response materials, they’ve been looking for an item called a “curtain.”
The booms they now use float on top of the water, but in windy or rough weather, there is so much movement that chemicals and spills can get under the booms, Grider explained.
Grider said the curtain has a tube on the top of the water with a piece that extends down 12 to 18 inches under it, and it won’t let spills get underneath the boom. The other absorbent materials can be used to contain the spill.
“That's why we're so excited we got this opportunity because the state's going to pay for it,” Grider said.
“Great job, Ron,” said Mayor Tim Barnes.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner moved to adopt the resolution to accept the grant, with Parlet seconding and the council approving the resolution 4-0. Councilman George Spurr was absent for the meeting.
It was noted during the meeting that the equipment would have been beneficial to have last month, when a spill closed several roadways within the northern part of the city.
On the morning of Jan. 9, an incident with a truck owned by a private company resulted in the spill of approximately 35 gallons of hydraulic fluid. It took much of the day for Lakeport Public Works staff to clean up the spill and reopen the roadways, as Lake County News has reported.
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