Point Arena residents are being asked to conserve water. Point Arena has been bearing much of the brunt of the Atmospheric River, with officials saying as of last night more than 8.6 inches of rain had fallen since early Wednesday with more on the way today. Officials say the City’s wastewater treatment ponds are filling up rapidly so they need to reduce the water draining into the ponds. The City requests that all residents and businesses within the City Limits reduce water usage as much as possible which means cut down on showers, toilet flushes, and other water until the storm is over. Meanwhile the Point Arena School District is closed today due to the weather and the closure of Highway 1 at the Garcia River.
The Urban Flood Warnings are in effect until 8pm tonight for Mendocino County with city drains and small streams completely overwhelmed and another 3-6 inches of rain possible through tonight. And the Flood Warnings remain in effect for the Russian River near Hopland and the Navarro River in Navarro until Saturday morning.The Russian has a flood stage of 15 feet but went over that last night and could get over 18 feet this afternoon which could mean road closures in Hopland at Highway 175 and in Ukiah at Talmadge Rd. The Navarro has a flood stage of 23 and is already over that this morning, on its way to near 27 feet which will likely close Highway 128 east of Highway 1. The Garcia River is also over its flood stage, going over 15 feet early this morning. Yesterday the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office closed Highway 1 north of Point Arena.
Two US Senators want the federal government to improve the forecasting for atmospheric rivers. California Senator Alex Padilla, who is the chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have introduced a bipartisan bill to upgrade the forecasting ability of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service. The Improving Atmospheric River Forecasts Act wants more public-private partnerships to create new tools for monitoring the weather and improving the predictability so people and governments can be better prepared. The bill claims the storms not only result in loss of life but also billions of dollars in damage every year.
There’s another invasive mussel that could make its way into Clear Lake. For years officials have been screening for invasive quagga and zebra mussels but now the Lake County Water Resources Department wants you on the lookout for golden mussels. Lake County News reports last month the golden mussel was found in the Port of Stockton and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region, the first such sighting in North America for the mussel that is native to Southeast Asia. Officials say if they are allowed to get a foothold in Clear Lake they can do damage to infrastructure and threaten the sport fisheries for bass and catfish. They could also threaten the Clear Lake Hitch. Officials say if you take your boat to the Delta, have it screened when you come back.
Savings Bank of Mendocino County is warning the community about some scam phone calls from someone impersonating Bank employees. Officials say the crooks are doing what’s called "spoofing" the Bank’s phone number which means using deceptive technology that makes your Caller ID think it is really the Bank. The caller will tell you your account has been the target of fraud and asks you to verify your debit card number, PIN, and some personal information. Savings Bank of Mendocino says they will never call you and ask you to verify a debit card number, PIN, or account information. If you get a call like this, hang up and call your bank immediately from the number on your Bank statement, not the Caller ID.
A Willits man is being held on $750,000 bail after being arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting two girls over the course of 10 years. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says after getting a tip about the case, last week deputies spoke to woman about the allegations of a possible sexual assault committed against her two daughters who are now ages 12 and 19. The ensuing investigation led to a search of the home of Matthew Adams and his arrest this week. Based on the circumstances, investigators think there may be more victims and ask anyone with information to contact the Sheriff’s Office either directly or anonymously on their tip line.
The City of Clearlake will be doing some more cleaning-up thanks to a series of code enforcement grants through Community Development Block Grant funding. In 2022 Clearlake got $500,000 for their first code enforcement program, hiring officers, upgrading tools, and getting vehicles. In 2023, another $500,000 came in to expand services to keep the progress rolling. On Thursday Clearlake announced another $1.5 million grant has been awarded to fund the program through 2027 which they say will bring more improvements to keep more neighborhoods clean.
The trial has been set for next month for a Clearlake man accused of setting two fires in Lake County in September and October. Donald Shawn Anderson was arraigned this week, pleading not guilty to two counts of arson and two counts of arson during a state of emergency. Anderson was arrested in October by Cal Fire investigators on suspicion of felony arson for a fire off Seigler Canyon Road near Lower Lake and another off New Long Valley Road in Clearlake Oaks. He was reportedly convicted of arson in 2004.
