Transfer Site Burns Discussed, Sierra City Monitoring Upgrades Approved

DOWNIEVILLE — On Tuesday, Sierra County supervisors continued their discussion on allowing burning at Sierra County transfer stations, in particular those in Sierra City and Sattley. The Sierra City site has a substantial pile of green waste, which was scheduled to be burned in December. However, after concerns from community members and consultation with U.S. Forest Service personnel, the county suspended the burn and began a prolonged process to determine when, and if, burning should occur at the site. The trepidation stems from several past incidents in which smoldering embers escaped after burns, sparking wildland fires at both the Sierra City and Sattley sites.

Last month, since-retired Public Works Director Bryan Davey suggested that the county may need to take a serious look at whether pile-burning operations should be indefinitely suspended at wildfire-prone sites. Since that time, however, the county’s focus appears to have shifted to improving monitoring protocols and working with partner agencies to determine safe practices. With changes in place, interim Public Works Director Brandon Pangman believes that burning can be conducted safely.

As part of the county’s solution, the Solid Waste department will look to install Starlink internet and a camera to monitor burn piles. Sheriff Mike Fisher offered last month to have those cameras monitored by the Sheriff Department’s dispatch, which would ensure round-the-clock coverage. Solid Waste will also look to install permanent water tanks and hoses at transfer sites to enable rapid response in the event of an escaped burn. The Sierra City transfer station will be the county’s first priority for the upgrades, followed by Sattley and Alleghany.

The county has also drafted a new operating procedures document to clarify burn guidelines for determining when burn piles should be lit and how burns should be conducted. A rough draft was debuted at a Supervisors meeting last month, and Pangman says it has since been circulated to several agencies for comments and revisions. Pangman also committed to receiving approval from both the Forest Service and the Sierra City Fire Department before lighting the Sierra City burn pile.

While Pangman expects that burning operations may now be able to resume shortly, current conditions do not lend themselves to the task. The recent weeks-long dry spell has complicated matters, and while precipitation is now in the forecast for the week of February 9, Solid Waste is waiting for more significant snow accumulation before considering a burn in Sierra City. In the meantime, Supervisor Lila Heuer says she has heard reports of residents dumping green waste in the forest because the transfer station has not accepted it for some time.

In general, supervisors were eager to keep burning operations going at transfer sites to facilitate the removal of flammable green waste from properties and home hardening efforts. Supervisor Lee Adams suggested, however, that if burning in Sierra City and Sattley were stopped, residents would have options at Ramshorn and Loyalton, respectively, that are “not across the planet” from them.

While discussions are expected to continue, Solid Waste was given the Board of Supervisors’ go-ahead to proceed with purchases to improve monitoring at the Sierra City Transfer Station. Purchases of less than $7,500 do not require Board approval, so the department is expected to spend up to that limit from the Solid Waste budget. A package extending upgrades across county transfer sites is expected to return to the Board at a later date, with Pangman estimating a total price tag of around $40,000.