Mendocino Complex Project

Over 450,000 acres of land was burned in 2018 during California’s largest wildfire on record, the Mendocino Complex Fire. Most of the fire burned in northern Lake County, causing no loss of life and comparatively minor damage compared to other impacted areas. However, habitat loss was immense and the threat of increased sedimentation into Clear Lake was significant. To mitigate these impacts and provide examples of best management practices (BMPs), the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Board) awarded $650,000 in 2019 to the Lake County RCD for the installation and maintenance of sediment and erosion control utilizing BMPs in areas identified by the Board as being of high priority.