September 3, 2019, Orinda, CA – The Moraga-Orinda Fire District and Contra Costa County Public Works Department will temporarily close Happy Valley Road starting September 9, 2019 through September 13, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.
This road closure between Sundown Terrace and Bear Creek Road is needed to complete work in accordance with the North Orinda Shaded Fuel Break Project (NOSFB). The NOSFB project area encompasses 1,515 acres along 14 miles of treated wildland fuels in the East Bay between the Eastern portions of Tilden Regional Park (San Pablo Ridge) and Pleasant Hill Road (City of Lafayette). This project is funded by the State of California, in order to meet Executive Order N-05-19 (emergency fuel reduction projects).
The North Orinda Shaded Fuel Break project is designed to help protect the community from a wildfire approaching from the north and east. This area receives seasonal Foehn winds (locally known as “Diablo winds”) that were the dominant influence on several major nearby wildfires, including the 1991 Tunnel Fire in the Berkeley Oakland Hills, which remains the third most damaging wildfire in California history.
The NOSFB is intended to reduce critical wildland fire fuels by removing understory vegetation, dead/dying trees, and decadent brush to lower the intensity of fast-moving wildfires. The tree canopy will remain largely intact to reduce the intrusion of invasive non-native plant species.
The NOSFB is a partnership between the Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District, CAL FIRE, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the East Bay Regional Park District and the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. The Moraga-Orinda Fire District is providing staff to manage the project.
Has to be done.
Hate to admit it cause I’ve lived here most of my life but I’ve never heard of Foehn winds. Some of the old timers used to refer to the Diablos when winds picked up. Thanks to the weed wackers out there keeping us safe!!
With lightning in our forecast this week I see.
I can live with this.