First some critical news for Paradise residents: town hall has partly reopened, but just about the only available service is obtaining parcel maps showing the location of septic tanks and leach fields. Officials are encouraging residents to obtain and submit the map along with right of entry authorizations for debris removal. The maps will reduce the chance of clean-up crews disturbing or damaging tanks and leach fields.
Town officials also say they hope to start looking at building plans and permit applications as soon as mid-January.
They’re also batting back false rumors on social media of a ban on manufactured homes… there isn’t one. And officials say there won’t be much enforcement of a rule that prohibits people from living in an RV on land that’s less than two-thirds of an acre.
Paradise town spokeswoman Ursula Smith says is no movement on a proposal for sewer service. All of Paradise is on individual septic systems...something that can’t continue indefinitely.
“One of the pitfalls we were starting to face was, specifically in our commercial areas, the septics started to fail, so it’s just not a long term option.”
Chico’s treatment plant could be expanded to treat some, or even all of the WASTEWATER FROM PARADISE...but Smith says part of that decision comes down to cost.
“We are exploring different avenues to acquire funding but again, we have the same problem we did before the fire and that is funding such a large project, so, it’s definitely something we’d like to have.”
In other news, officials from the Fire Safe Council say they’ve begun a forest thinning project in Magalia to reduce fire danger. Workers are thinning bushes and younger trees, removing dead ones and limbing up more mature ones. Residents may smell smoke as vegetation is burned in piles. The work should wrap up by June.