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Neighbors tell commission Shady Creek diversion, bridge and fire worries must be resolved
Summary
Residents living on Shady Creek Lane told the Planning Commission that past diversions have dried Browns Creek, the private road and bridge cannot sustain commercial harvest traffic and that odor and health impacts have been severe; appellants urged the commission to not rely solely on the staff report.
Several neighbors and appellants told the Trinity County Planning Commission that past commercial diversions left Browns Creek dry for extended periods and that a new licensed cultivation operation could add another strain on local water and emergency access.
"That creek dried up for probably 2 years, and it's finally in the last couple years come back," Diane Woodworth said, describing fish and crawdad losses her family observed. She added concerns about an unimproved private road, a bridge with uncertain weight rating and increased traffic and fire risk during harvest season. Another neighbor said they have "cardiac pulmonary hypertension" and that strong odors during harvest force them indoors with air purifiers.
Appellant Travis Finch said the neighborhood experienced break-ins and thefts during a previous unpermitted grow and told the commission that the private road is too narrow for fire apparatus and that the existing bridge is not weight-rated to Cal Fire standards. "This is a new and intensified commercial use," Finch said, stressing the road is "barely 10 feet wide in certain places" and the bridge is not weight-rated for 75,000 pounds.
Appellants requested that the commission verify whether harvest traffic and diversion practices will remain within limits the state allows, and asked the commission to ensure the administrative record documents the specific site conditions and public-safety implications before any final action.
