Folsom has not rulled out a road following 8/2016 maintenance

Representatives of the Hinkle Creek Work Group met with Evert Palmer, Folsom’s City Manager, and Marcus Yasutake, Director of Environmental and Water Resources, last week to discuss the results of the camera inspection and routine maintenance of the Hinkle Creek sewer line. The city advised us that they are concerned about three sections of the line and believe they need to be replaced for various reasons like pipe corrosion, pipe offsets, and pipe sag . (See attached diagram.) Red – first priority, Pink – second priority, Yellow-third priority. Our next step is to work with the city to identify a qualified contractor who can make the repairs with minimal impact to the nature area. We will be meeting with experts to gain their insights on the urgency of the repairs and the various methods to implement the repairs. If you know of a contractor knowledgeable in commercial sewer systems please make an introduction to us We know that it was possible to refurbish the line without trenching for a new pipe but that process would be less effective if the problems are related to the slope of the existing line. We believe that the sections of iron pipe that are corroded could be replaced without massive excavation using current equipment and technology that is very cost effective and quite quickly. At the meeting with the city, we were also provided with information from the final arborist report with the tree counts that would be impacted if the road is built. If a road is built 81 trees, of the total 197 trees affected, will be removed or critically impacted. The city has a formula for how they grade trees and not all trees are created equal in the city’s eyes. Some trees are not valued at all like gray pines, buckeye and non-natives. Of the protected trees, they grade them based on the trees condition from 0-5 with zero being a dead tree and 5 being a perfect specimen. Of the 197 trees within the 50 foot road impact area, according to the city, 74 are in the 0-2 condition range. 107 are in the 3-5 range and 16 were not assessed because they are categorized as too small or are not protected. We were hoping that that the city was going to table their pursuit of the road but that is not what we heard last week so we continue to investigate options and alternatives for maintenance of the sewer line. The Hinkle Creek Work Group will continue to work with Folsom City Executives to reduce the impact on Hinkle Creek Nature Park and keep you all updated on our progress. Keep the signs up. They show our elected representatives and city workers that people care about Hinkle Creek Park. If you know of people that would like a yard sign, please email your name and address to SaveHinkleCreek@gmail.com and don’t forget to sign the petition on Change.org.