Local Caltrans Supervisor Luke Mason has been periodically monitoring the depth of the water flowing through the Chester Flood Control Channel (also known locally as "Super Ditch"). “We have markers on the pillars and at one point the water level was 5.5 feet deep,” he said.

M. Kate West

  The rainstorms that occurred during the last week of November into the first week of December have definitely been the talk of the town.

  While Dale Knutsen supplied us with rainfall totals in his first monthly column of the precipitation season, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesperson Paul Moreno has also offered regional outage updates that run from the Lake Almanor Basin to Spanish Creek.

  “We had several separate outages over the weekend due to stormy weather. The most significant for the greater Lake Almanor Basin occurred at midnight Thursday, Nov. 29,” Moreno said.

  He said  power was lost to 2,654 customers in Westwood, Greenville and Lake Almanor, and another 1,680 in Chester, due to unidentified trouble on a transmission line.

  “Power was restored to all customers at 3:24 a.m. Friday,” he added.

  Some of the same residents experienced an additional challenge  when power was also lost to 1,368 Lake Almanor customers at 1 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 2.

  “This happened when stormy weather brought down several trees into power lines and poles, breaking poles, pole cross arms and power lines. Crews worked throughout Sunday and Monday, restoring power to most customers on Sunday and they continued to work on Monday until all power was restored by 7 p.m.,” Moreno said.

  Sunday’s storms hit the Spanish Creek area hard as well.

  “At 3 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, 917 customers in Spanish Creek area lost power due to a tree through a power line. All power was restored at about 7 p.m. Monday,” he said.

  Moreno said there were many smaller outages throughout the county that impacted customers in Crescent Mills, Hamilton Branch and Twain.

  “On this last outage, we still have nine customers without power but crews are on scene working to replace a broken pole and should have it repaired and re-energized by 8 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, Dec. 4).

  “Most of the PG&E crews you may see are from out of the area. PG&E crews came as far as Bakersfield to assist in the Oroville region so local Valley crews could assist in Plumas County,” Moreno said.

  He also said all Plumas County customers were expected to be back online by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4.