Welcome to the Virginia Lakes Mutual Water Corporation's Web Site
05/20/2019: The water system start-up has been cancelled for May 25-27 due to the amount of snow still on the subdivision roads and surround facility areas making it difficult to get around and also able to check for water leaks. There have been several recent snow storms which have left some additional snow with the possibility of more this week. Temps at night last Thursday and Friday were 20 degrees. Snow has been melting but not at a rate to clear subdivision roads in the near future. A review of the snow melt will be done later this week to determine if a start-up can begin on 6/1 to 3 or later. Keep an eye on this site for an update.
05/10/2019: The annual member letter and assessment was mailed out today the 10th. Remember to get your assessment payment in by July 31 to avoid a late fee of $50.
Water system start-up process is planned to begin between May 25-27 if all goes well according to plan, weather and snow conditions.
Once water, system lines, tanks, are treated and flushed, water samples completed and submitted for testing, approval to serve members has to be received from the Mono County Health Department due to California State Water Resources Department requirements. Once approval is received the system will be available for member use and a notification will be posted on the web site at such time.
05/09/2019: VL Road was finally clear all the way from Trumbull Lake Camp Ground entrance to Big Virginia on Friday 4/26.
Many thanks to Cory and his crew from the Mono County Road Department for getting the road open and cleared.
Opening day on Saturday was a beautiful day with about 30 folks in the morning going up to around 40 in the early afternoon. There was good activity with mostly 8 - 12 inchers being caught. Worms seemed to be the hot bait but power bait and lures were working as well.
The ice and snow depth for drilling holes was around 6 feet in most areas. Sunday was also active with around 25-30 folks as well. Come Monday, there was around 15-20 folks which is more than normal after the weekend.
The ice had not melted away from the shore edges as in years past and the inlet coming down into Big V from Blue Lake was still covered with snow and ice. There was only one very small ice crack on the surface area of the lake which normally has several large ones. There were some strong winds on and off but weather was mostly pretty nice.
Recent reports tell of good ice on Big Virginia and the fishing has not been too bad - but mostly the 8 - 12 inchers.
Member Steve Linn did catch a 4 1/2 lb rainbow on opening day which was the only big one that we saw - but there may have been others.
Check out the "Pictures" tab for a look at Steve's fish and some other pictures.
The Conway Summit - Cal Trans District 9 cameras at 395 and VL Road are off line until they get funding to replace the cameras.
04/23/2019: Virginia Lakes Road was plowed and open 2 lanes to Dunderberg Meadow Road by the end of Thursday 4/18. From there, the remaining road was 1 lane to Rand Road but was not open until Friday or so. Crews are still working on the road from Trumbull Lake campground entrance to Big Virginia and should have that section open by opening day the 27th. Road surfaces have been very icy in the early morning due to snow melt runoff - so drive carefully.
There is still tons of snow in the subdivision from 4 to 6 feet depending on shading and snow drifts. All subdivision roads are not drivable by wheeled vehicles.
Temperatures from 4/14 thru 4/18 were in the mid to low 20s at night and mid 30s to low 40s during the days. This helped to soften up the snow during the day but solid it back up at night time.
No word on when the water system will be up and running at this time. There is still too much snow to melt before a tentative date can be determined. Historically, Memorial Weekend is when the system is up and running - but that changed a couple years ago until the first part of June due to heavy snows on 2017. Any updated on the system start will be posted here on the web site.
Check out the "Pictures" tab for a few recent pictures of the road and surrounding areas.
03/29/2019: Recent information received from Mono County is that they have begun to clear Virginia Lakes Road. They first started from the parking lot to the small bridge just up the road a ways making it two lanes. Then they will be going to the 1 1/2 mile mark, two lanes and close the road at that point. After that they will work their way up a little at a time making the road two lanes as they go and closing the road at areas that have been cleared to two lanes. They should have the road open to big Virginia Lakes by fishing opener on 4/27. Check out the Mono County Road Closure web site for further details at: https://monocounty.ca.gov/roads/page/county-road-closures
The area also picked up some additional snow on Wednesday of around 12-13 inches leaving a total of around 81-83 inches on the ground. Some settling has occurred since then.
There was some beautiful weather during a nice trip between 03/16 and 3/22. We picked up around 4-5 inches of new snow the first couple of days. Then it was on and off with clear blue sky or overcast. There was around 6-7 feet of snow in the subdivision with some areas higher due to wind drifts. Virginia Lakes Road was closed at the lower parking area and travel to the subdivision was pretty bumpy over the snow by either walking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing/skiing, or snow cat. Check out the "Pictures" tab for a few pictures.
03/09/2019: We received a couple pictures taken by High Sierra Snowcat & Yurt folks on there way up Virginia Lakes Road on the morning of 03/08. Beautiful! Check out the "Pictures" tab.
03/05/2019: Check out the "Pictures" tab for a picture from the Cal Trans camera of the intersection of VL Road and 395 from this morning.
03/04/2019: Lots of snow in the subdivision and surrounding areas. We received some pictures from 02/23 and 02/26 of the area and parking lot area off of 395. Snow storms keep coming and going. Latest reports there is approximately 6 to 7 feet of snow or more depending on wind drifts. Check out the "Pictures" tab for some recent pictures.
02/09/2019: Check out the pictures tab for some recent pictures. 1/31/19 pictures compliments of Bill Frick. 02/08/19 pictures compliments of High Sierra Snowcat & Yurt - Mike Deacon!
02/07/2019: Lots of snow arrived from the last snow storm that ended earlier this week around the 4th. The snow depth recorded at the Virginia Lakes Ridge Weather site was 91 inches. This evening the snow has settled down to around 76 inches. The parking lot just up from 395 and VL Road up to it was cleared of most the recent snow yesterday per Mono County. The main VL Road is closed from the parking lot to the west but is open to over the snow travel. Temperatures have been pretty cold lately with the lows at night in the 4-8 range and daytime in the mid teens. Today was an exception getting up to around 31. There is another storm coming in Friday through Sunday with the potential of 2 to 4 feet. No pictures from anyone so far - but have asked for a few if they have the opportunity.
01/16/2019: There is around 3 plus feet on the ground in the subdivision. Winds have been high, Here is the latest VL Road information from Mono County:
"FYI, snow removal operations will be suspended on VA Lakes Road tomorrow, January 16, at 3:00p.m.
The “Road Closed” sign will be placed at the bottom parking lot, and the road will be open to over-snow travel. Residents are encouraged to relocate wheeled vehicles to bottom parking lot prior to the closure. The closure determination will be revisited every weekday thereafter, and snow removal operations will resume when weather, avalanche conditions, and resources permit."
01/14/2019: UPDATE:: Recent information that was received from Mono County Public Works Department this morning:
"As you may know, Virginia Lakes Road is currently open to the Trumbull Lake Campground intersection. The County has been able to devote the staff and equipment necessary to keep it open, provided the lack of significant snows in the Bridgeport Valley.
The forecast storm for Wednesday-Thursday could change that. Although the County has not yet made a formal decision, I am writing to give you a heads up that the County expects to suspend snow removal operations on Virginia Lakes Road during the storm and depending on what happens with snow, wind, and (most of all) additional storms, it may result in a lengthy closure.
When snow removal operations are suspended, the “Road Closed” sign will be placed at the bottom parking lot, and the road will be opened to over-snow travel. Residents are encouraged to relocate wheeled vehicles to bottom parking lot prior to the closure. The closure determination will be revisited every weekday thereafter, and snow removal operations will resume when weather, avalanche conditions, and resources permit.
Once a formal decision has been made, we will update the website (County) and issue another email to this list."
County Road Closures are shown online at: https://monocounty.ca.gov/roads/page/county-road-closures
Thanks to Tony Dublino - Director of Pubic Works for reaching out to us to let us know about the snow removal plan.
The storm is expected to come in tonight the 14th and bring between 4-6 feet of new snow before it mostly ends around Thursday. Small amounts of snow may continue into the weekend as well. Residents in the subdivision have moved their vehicles down to the parking area on VL Road just off 395. If you need to check out road conditions, please check out the Mono County Road closures site at: https://monocounty.ca.gov/roads/page/county-road-closures
To check out current NOAA weather predictions for the area - check out this site at:
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-119.21711796874996&lat=38.06808007465082#.XDzFq_ZFxet
Also the Virginia Lakes Ridge NOAA weather station site can be viewed for current temperatures and snow levels at:
https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=VGAC1&table=1&banner=off
Cal Trans also has three cameras at their Conway Summit facility to show road conditions in that area. One camera has a good view of the entrance to VL Road at the 395 intersection. The site also has the cameras for the 395/203 intersection at Mammoth, Coso Junction and Benton Hwy6. Sometimes the cameras are out of order. Check out the site at:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/d9/cctv/index.html
These links are also available on our Web site page "Links" tab.
01/13/2019: Happy New Year! A trip to the subdivision from 12/26 to 1/1/19 was a fun time with some new snow on the 27th of about 4-6 inches. Leaving a total of about 2 feet on the ground. Some areas had higher snow levels due to shading and snow drifts. Temps were typically around 4- 10 degrees F at night and around 10 to 20 during the daytime. Sometime between New Year's eve to New Year's day morning the temperature dropped to -5.5F! That was pretty cold! Some pictures from that period of time will be added soon. VL Road was open and had some areas of ice. County crews came up several time to keep the road clear of any new snow.
12/01/2018: Snow hit the area again this week Wednesday the 28th. Around 2 plus feet fell with some areas higher due to snow drifts. We moved the trash dumpster out to VL Road and Tip Top Lane for easier pick-up for Mammoth Disposal to empty on Thursday the 29th. Unfortunately, they were unable to due to sliding off VL Road into a ditch. They plan on one more pickup this season when weather clears. Once the dumpster is emptied it will be locked up and available only for the year-round residents until May 2019 time frame. If you are up to your cabin during this period of time, you will need to take your trash home with you.
Weather was beautiful beginning Saturday 11/17 with blue sky and no wind or snow. Come Wednesday the 21 there was a very slight wind and snow in the morning. However, that night it began to snow and come morning there was around 10-12 inches on the ground. Night time temps were in the low 20s with daytime temps in the low to mid 40s. Snow continued some and winds picked up ending with around 14 inches of snow on Friday. Saturday the 24th there was blue sky again and a slight wind. Check out the pictures tab for a few pictures of the area.
10/26/2018: The water systems were shut down beginning on 10/22 with the low tank system and ending on 10/23 with the high tank and gravity systems. Winter water is available at the spring overflow or from the orange yard hydrants at various road aprons along Virginia Lakes Road. If a member needs a key for the winter hydrant please go to the "Contact Us" Tab on the home page to request a key. There is a $3.00 charge for a key that is mailed and $2.00 for a hand delivered key. A list is maintained of all winter hydrant keys issued. Water service will not be started until May/June 2019 depending on weather conditions
At the Board meeting held 10/21, Eric Lindquist was nominated to replace Director and Board Vice-President Don Meier who passed away on July 23. A vote of the Board appointed Eric as a Director and Board Vice-President. Congratulations Eric!
Temperatures at night between 10/19 and 23 were in the mid to high 20s and the mid 40s to low 50s during the afternoon. A previous low of 17 was recorded the week before. Fall colors have been beautiful along Virginia Lakes Road and other local areas.
Trash service will remain until snow prevents pickup by the trash company.
10/11/2018: The water systems will be shut down on Monday 10/22 beginning in the morning.
Temperatures the last week have been in the 23 to 28F range during late evening and into late morning causing freezing conditions with water lines at cabins and in the pump houses. If you have not shut your cabin down, now is a good time before any damage is done to your cabin/property water lines. Daytime temps have varied from the low 40s to the 70s (yes 70s - crazy!!) in the afternoon. Winds have been very light if any at all. Some light snow on 10/6 evening which mostly melted off the next couple of days. There was a very very light sprinkling of snow the morning of 10/11 but nothing to be concerned about.
Fall colors in the aspens is looking nice but some trees are already loosing their leaves. Lots of picture-takers along Virginia Lakes Road trying to catch the colors before they are gone. Many fishermen up at the lakes but no reports available on how they have been doing.
There will be a Board Meeting on Sunday, October 22, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at 32 Lodgepole Drive. Any member is welcome to attend the meeting.
The meeting agenda was posted on 10/11 in the Bulletin Board enclosure on the north side of the solar pump shed next to the trash dumpster. If any member would like a copy of the agenda sent electronically, please complete the "Contact Us" form via the tab on the left.
09/04/2018: There will be a Celebration of life Memorial gathering on Saturday, September 22, 2018 for Don Meier, Virginia Lakes Mutual Water - Vice President, who passed away on July 23rd. The celebration will be non-religious and informal. The location will be at: Tamarack Junction Casino & Restaurant, 13101 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV 89511, 775-852-3600. If you are interested and will attend the celebration, please fill in your information on the "Contact Us" tab and make a notation in the comments section regarding the celebration for Don. Your information will be forwarded to the family so they can have a head count of people attending. Thank you.
09/02/2018: The weather is changing! A recent trip between 8/23 & 8/29 found night time temps between 39 and 45 and daytime temps between 78 to 87. Skies were mostly clear and blue with some afternoon light smoke occasionally getting blown in from the fires on the western side of the Sierra's. However, the smoke tended to clear out by evening as there was typically a light breeze. There was not any bear activity as far as anyone could tell. Water systems are all up and running. The recent liner install for the low storage tank has halted the water loss from that tank! That is great news - and our solar pump can now keep up with the demand and at times stops pumping when the tank is full. Activity in the subdivision was pretty heavy and then lightened up just before Labor Day weekend. I would suspect that many members were headed back up for the long holiday weekend. Water system shut-down in October will depend on weather conditions and temperatures. Typically the system is shut down around October 20 thru 26th. Once a determination is made for shut-down a notice will be posted on the web site.
08/15/2018: Overdue - Second Notices are being mailed out today to members who have not paid their 2018 assessment billing. Payment was due by July 31, 2018 and as such, a $50 late fee has been added to the billing. Any payment not received by December 31, 2018 will also have interest of 6% added. Assessments constitute a lien upon the membership. Unpaid assessments may be enforced by recording of a notice of lien against the subject property with Mono County, suspension of voting rights, suspension of water service, personal action against the member and any other legal means.
08/12/2018: There has been lots of smoke from the fires in Yosemite and other locations. Some mornings the subdivision was crystal clear blue skies and other times it was partly smokey. It tended to get a little smokey in the afternoon when wind directions changed from the south and would then clear out early evening.
There was a bear roaming the subdivision who has mastered the ability to open vehicle doors. Several members found their vehicle doors open in the morning with signs of a bear having been inside. One unfortunate member or member guest had a bear get inside their vehicle and the door closed behind the bear. The bear did a lot of damage to the inside of the vehicle trying to get out until the member or owner opened the vehicle door. Just a reminder to make sure not to leave any food items inside your vehicle, make sure all windows are rolled up and that the vehicle doors are locked. Check out the "Pictures" page for a couple bear pictures. One is from Jul 5 by a cabin and the other the bear at our trash dumpster on 8/6.
On 8/9 there was information that a dead bear had been found down in the meadow at the east end of the subdivision and south of VL road. It appeared that the bear may have been hit by a vehicle and wondered off where it died in the meadow. Fish and Game was to be notified. No further information is available at this time on this incident.
07/28/2018: It is with a sad heart that we share with you that our Vice-President Don Meier passed way on Monday July 23. Don has been Vice-President since 1995 and was recently re-elected at our annual member meeting. He cared passionately about life at Virginia Lakes and was instrumental in getting many improvement projects completed. He will be sorely missed.
His obituary from the Reno Journal-Gazette and Mason Valley News is at the following link: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/rgj/obituary.aspx?n=don-edward-meier&pid=189724807
Other news: Work was completed on the low tank liner installation on Monday 7/23 after approximately 24 1/4 hours of work. Volunteers that helped out were: David Berger, Bill Frick, Chris Keller, Eric Lindquist, Judy Olsen, Ross Oswald, Ron Reck, and Jay Wheaton. Mark Shaff also assisted by picking up some needed material in Carson City on his way to the subdivision. The liner improvement will greatly assist in providing cleaner water but also in stopping the water loss from the tank walls.
07/18/2018: Work will start on installing the liner in the low storage tank today. Prep work will begin to modify the input water line. It is anticipated that the liner will be ready for install by this Saturday. We may need a couple member volunteers to help out with the install. If a member would like to help out, please go to the "contact us" tab and provide your information as well as a contact number. We will get back to you once we determine what our progress has been and what our manpower needs will be for the install. We will try and provide at least one days prior notice. Thank you.
Water service for those on the low tank will be switched to the high tank until the low tank Work in completed. Be aware that the water pressure may be higher for those on the low tank. Per water installation requirements, members should have the appropriate pressure regulator to provide safe water pressure into their cabin.
06/29/2018: The Annual Member meeting will be held on Saturday, July 7, at 2:00 p.m. at the pump house area at 67 Tip Top Lane. There will be refreshments after the meeting. See you there! Also, There will be a Board Meeting on Wednesday, July 4, at 10:00 p.m. at 32 Lodgepole Drive. Any member is welcome to attend the meeting.
The meeting agendas, for both meetings, will be posted on 06/30 in the Bulletin Board enclosure on the north side of the solar pump shed next to the trash dumpster. If any member would like a copy of the agenda (s) sent electronically, please complete the "Contact Us" form via the tab on the left.
06/26/2018: Weather has been nice at the subdivision lately except for the fire smoke that has been coming over the mountains from the western side of the Sierra's. There is a big bear that has been roaming the subdivision - - SO make sure your vehicle windows are rolled up tight and there is no food inside the vehicle.
Bridgeport is having their 156th Annual 4th of July celebration beginning on June 30 with the parade on July 4 at 10:00 a.m. - check out the schedule here: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/bb0160b1-7862-48a9-a2f4-a9089bed1ebc/downloads/1caoivlct_918621.pdf
05/30/2018: Water system turn-on was started on 5/23. Water tests were taken in on 5/25 and test result returns were good on 5/26. All water systems are operational. Trash service was started on 5/24 for the season, Trash pick-up day is Thursday in the morning. If you find the dumpster lock unlocked Thursday morning please do not lock it up as the trash company driver sometimes forgets to bring his key. All subdivision roads are open except for the top of Summit Drive where the snow berm/drift is and just west of the low tank area on Summit Drive. Some road areas are muddy due to snow melt and underground water flows.
05/15/2018: The water system start-up process is planned to begin on May 23rd if all goes well according to plans, weather and snow conditions. Once all the system lines, tanks, and water have been treated, and flushed and water testing completed, approval to serve members has to be received from the Mono County Health Department due to California State Water Resources Department requirements. Hopefully this will be by Saturday the 26th.
05/12/2018: Per reports received from several folks, opening day was fairly good. The fishing was okay with trout in the 8-12 inch range, especially the brooks in the 13 to 15 inch range.. There were +60 folks on Big Virginia lake. There was around 4 feet of ice on Big V. I did not make it up on Opening day and was only able to fish on 5/2. On that day, there were only two of us fishing in the afternoon on Big V as the weekend crowd had departed. Big V and surrounding lakes were still frozen with lake edges not melting out. Received about 4-6 inches of new snow on Monday 4/29 but by Friday 5/4 most of the new snow had melted. There was still plenty of snow in the subdivision with some snow drifts in the 3-4 foot range making the roads impassible except for Tip Top up to Hawthorne. The big snow berm/drift up on Summit Dr. was 6-8 feet. In most areas there was 1 to 2 feet of snow with some bare areas from sun melt. Temps started out cold at night down to 17 F with day time temps in the high 20s to low 30s. Come Friday 5/4, night temps rose up to 27 F and day time temps were in the 50s to 60s. Snow was really beginning to melt. Recent storm 5/11 brought some snow - but weather reports are questionable saying 6 to 8 inches - but not personal verifiable reports. Temps have dropped back down to the mid 20s at night and mid 40s during the day.
The annual member letter and assessments were mailed out on 5/3. Payments are already coming in. Remember to get your assessment payment in by July 31 to avoid a late fee of $50.
Water system turn-on has not been scheduled yet and will depend on temperatures and snow coverage - but hopefully by Memorial day. A notification will be posted on the web site once it is known.
Check out the "Pictures" Tab for a few pictures taken on 5/2 of Big V.
04/26/2018: Two days until opening day for fishing season. The weather has been warm in the 50-60s the last few days with the snow melting and subsequent runoff. We received a couple pictures of Big Virginia taken today near the inlet area on the north end. Snow on the lake is soft. Ice depth was reported between 2-4 feet a week ago - but depth today has not been reported. Conditions may not be to good on the lake come 4/28. If more info is received it will be posted. Check out the "Pictures" tab.
04/21/2018: VL Road is "Officially" open to Big Virginia Lake per Mono County. Big V, Little V and Trumbull Lakes are all frozen. Around 4-6 inches of snow fell on Monday 4/16. There was about 3 feet of snow on the ground in most places with some drifts much higher as well as in areas of shade. The snow base was pretty firm after having rains the prior week. Subdivision roads are not drive able due to snow coverage except for the first portion of Tip Top that was cleared by a property owner. Trash service has not been started and probably will not be until Memorial Day time frame - so please take your trash home with you. Water system start-up will depend on snow coverage and temps and is expected to begin around Memorial Day period as well.
Check out the "Pictures" tab for a few recent pictures.
04/12/2018: The word is that VL Road is open to Big Virginia Lakes, but there has not been an update on the Mono County road closure site to that. There is still around 3 feet of snow in the subdivision or more depending on drifts. Recent snow fall yesterday left around 4 inches of new snow. Temps this morning were 17° clear with bright sun and a low of 11°. There is a possibility of more snow this afternoon then more coming in Sunday night and Monday.
04/05/2018: The latest on VL Road closure: 2:15 p.m. today.
Virginia Lakes Road - OPEN: Virginia Lakes Road is open to the Trumbull Lake Campground with no restrictions. County staff will continue to work at opening the parking area for Big Virginia for fishing opener. Please do not park in front of the Road Closed barricade and obey the NO Parking signs.
The Road Division Weather forecast for Virginia Lakes can be seen HERE
Morning post below:
Virginia Lakes Road - CLOSED: The Virginia Lakes Road closure will be moved from the lower parking area to the Dunderberg Road intersection today, April 4, 2018 at approx.. 3:00 p.m. Closure determination will be reviewed every weekday until further notice. Snow removal operations are taking place and we hope to have the road open by the end of the week April 6-2018.
Due to current snow removal operations, minimal road width and lack of parking, visitors are asked to please not drive past road closure or block Virginia Lakes Road at the Road closure so residence, snow removal and support equipment can access and egress as needed. The current Weather forecast for Virginia Lakes can be seen HERE
04/02/2018: On Thursday 03/29 the County began to clear VL Road from the lower parking lot area ending up at Dunderberg Meadow Road that day. It was approximately one lane wide. No clearing was done until today 4/2 when they went to approximately the Trumbull Lake campground entrance. VL Road is two lanes to that point.
There have been a few small avalanches in the surrounding mountains from the previous snow storm but nothing really big. We were sent one picture taken in the morning of 3/23 of the Castle Peak area above the subdivision where we typically have an avalanche issue. The slide did not make it down to the properties on Glacier, Easy or the end of Tip Top.
Also a few pictures have been provided of the VL Road area and sub area from 03/26 and 27.
There is a storm coming in the later this week that may bring rain or snow, but initial projections do not indicate any significant amounts of snow.
Check out the "Pictures" tab for a few pictures.
Below is latest road closure information from Mono County dated 3/30/2018:
County Road Closures
Information current as of: 3/30/2018, 5:00 p.m.
County Roads with Current Closures or Travel Restrictions:
Cottonwood Canyon Road - Winter closure from north of Dobie Meadows Road intersection to Bodie State Park
Crowley Lake Dr. - has been reopened with no restrictions.
Lundy Lake Road - is now open with no restrictions
Rock Creek Road - The road is closed at the first gate after the snow park.
Upper Summers Meadow Road - Continuing closure during bridge construction; abutments completed, pre-fabricated bridge platforms delivered and installed. Remaining tasks include concrete pours for bridge surface, guardrail installation, finish approach grading and signage. The overall completion is anticipated in Spring 2018.
Twin Lakes Road - This road has been reopened with no restrictions.
Virginia Lakes Road - CLOSED: The Virginia Lakes Road will remain closed until further notice. Closure determination will be reviewed every weekday until further notice. Residents and visitors are encouraged to be prepared for over-snow travel. The Road Division Weather forecast for Virginia Lakes can be seen HERE
Actual road closures and activity will be updated periodically – please consider these notices as warnings, and plan accordingly.
03/25/2018: VL road is closed and will hopefully be opened the first of the week. Approximately 5 feet of snow fell in the subdivision area on 3/22 and 3/23. There is a good 7 plus feet with some areas much higher with snow drifts. Winds have been in the 50 mph range. Check out the "Pictures" page for about 5 new pictures.
Here is the latest update from Mono County regarding road closures/restrictions:
Information current as of: 3/23/2018, 8:30 a.m.
County Roads with Current Closures or Travel Restrictions:
- Cottonwood Canyon Road - Winter closure from north of Dobie Meadows Road intersection to Bodie State Park
Crowley Lake Dr. - has been reopened with no restrictions.
- Lundy Lake Road - With the forecast of heavier storms and high winds this week, The Roads Division will be closing Lundy Lake Road at the first gate, Wednesday, 3-21-18 at 3:00 P.M. The Road will remain closed until further notice. Closure determination will be reviewed every weekday until further notice. Residents and visitors are encouraged to closely monitor the weather and snow accumulation, and be prepared for road closure and over-snow travel. The Road Division Weather forecast for Lundy Lake can be seen HERE
- Rock Creek Road - The road is closed at the first gate after the snow park.
- Upper Summers Meadow Road - Continuing closure during bridge construction; abutments completed, pre-fabricated bridge platforms delivered and installed. Remaining tasks include concrete pours for bridge surface, guardrail installation, finish approach grading and signage. The overall completion is anticipated in Spring 2018.
- Twin Lakes Road - This road has been reopened with no restrictions.
- Virginia Lakes Road - With the forecast of heavier storms and high winds this week, The Roads Division will be closing Virginia Lakes Road Wednesday, 3-21-18 at 3:00 P.M. The Road will remain closed until further notice. Moving vehicles down to the parking area to facilitate travel on highways is recommended. Closure determination will be reviewed every weekday until further notice. Residents and visitors are encouraged to closely monitor the weather and snow accumulation, and be prepared for road closure and over-snow travel. The Road Division Weather forecast for Virginia Lakes can be seen HERE
Actual road closures and activity will be updated periodically – please consider these notices as warnings, and plan accordingly.
03/20/2018: Per Mono County at 1:12 p.m. today.
Virginia Lakes Road - With the forecast of heavier storms and high winds this week, The Roads Division will be closing Virginia Lakes Road Wednesday, 3-21-18 at 3:00 P.M. The Road will remain closed until further notice. Moving wheeled vehicles down to the parking area to facilitate travel on highways is recommended. Closure determination will be reviewed every weekday until further notice. Residents and visitors are encouraged to closely monitor the weather and snow accumulation, and be prepared for road closure and over-snow travel.
Note: Heavy snows are coming in tomorrow with up to 3 - 5 feet by Friday. See the weather link below from 3/14 post for current weather info for the Virginia Lakes area.
03/17/2018: 11:22 a.m.: There is around 50 inches of snow in the subdivision with some areas higher due to drifts. The County just brought a snow plow up VL Road and is trying to open up the road. County Road Closure site says road is open but has not been updated since 3/14. More snow coming in later this week around Tuesday.
Per Mono County email of 3:14 p.m.: Virginia Lakes road was re-opened late this morning. We will update the County website Monday.
03/16/2018: Mono County has closed VL Road as of 3 p.m. today - See below:
Virginia Lakes Road - With the heavy snowfall throughout the day, The Roads Division has closed Virginia Lakes Road as of 3:00 P.M. today. Over snow travel on the closed road is permitted, and should be expected. Moving wheeled vehicles down to the parking area before nightfall to facilitate travel on highways is recommended. Closure determination will be reviewed tomorrow morning and every weekday until further notice.
03/14/2018: Per local reports - snow of 8 inches last night with 5 inches today. More expected the rest of the week. Latest VL Road info from Mono County at 1:30 p.m. today:
Virginia Lakes Road - Currently open. With the forecast of heavier storms and winds this week, the road may close at the bottom parking lot. Residents and visitors are encouraged to closely monitor the weather and snow accumulation, and be prepared for road closure and over-snow travel. . Closure determination will be reviewed every weekday until further notice. The Road Division Weather forecast for Virginia Lakes can be seen HERE: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=38.048&lon=-119.2652#.Wqm1k0xFyM8
03/13/2018 @ 2:17 p.m.: Received notification from Mono County that VL Road will be closed this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. due to pending snow storm. There is a possibility of more than 3 feet of snow coming in between today and Saturday. Please see the info below:
Virginia Lakes Road - With the forecast of heavier storms and winds this week, The Roads Division will be closing Virginia Lakes Road today 3-13-18 at 3:00 P.M. The Road will remain closed until further notice. Over snow travel on the closed road is permitted. Moving wheeled vehicles down to the parking area to facilitate travel on highways is recommended. Closure determination will be reviewed every weekday until further notice.
03/12/2018: Storms are coming in this week beginning Tuesday with the possibility of up to 2 feet of snow at higher elevations by the end of the storm. Currently VL Road is open however, it is subject to closure depending on snow fall. The latest update on Road Closures from Mono County is as follows: https://www.monocounty.ca.gov/roads/page/county-road-closures
County Road Closures
Information current as of: 3/09/2018 9:00 a.m.
County Roads with Current Closures or Travel Restrictions:
Cottonwood Canyon Road - Winter closure from north of Dobie Meadows Road intersection to Bodie State Park
Lundy Lake Road: is closed at the second gate (just past Lundy Dam Road).
Upper Summers Meadow Road - Continuing closure during bridge construction; abutments completed, pre-fabricated bridge platforms delivered and installed. Remaining tasks include concrete pours for bridge surface, guardrail installation, finish approach grading and signage. The overall completion is anticipated in Spring 2018.
Rock Creek Road - The road is closed at the first gate after the snow park.
Virginia Lakes Road - Is open again and will remain open with the possibility of heavier storms in mid-March forcing a road closure. Residents should be prepared for a storm closure of this road.
Actual road closures and activity will be updated periodically – please consider these notices as warnings, and plan accordingly.
03/08/2018: The snow level has settled down since the last storm and currency is around 30 to 36 inches. The County has been plowing VL Road and hopefully it will be open soon for normal travel. A storm is coming in tonight and Thursday with about 80% chance of some additional snow. Snow amounts may be limited - but will be updated when info received from those in the subdivision. Another storm is head in next week as well - so maybe we will get lucky with some addition snow. Subdivision roads are not drivable except for a small portion of Tip Top just off VL Road. The County Road Closure site has not been updated since 3/2.
03/03/2018: VL Road is currently closed at the lower parking lot area just off of 395. There is approximately 4 feet of new snow that is very fluffy and hard to get around in. Snowmobile travel is rough if at all possible due to sinking down in the new snow. Temps have been in the teens. We are hoping for a few pictures to come in so we can post them on the site.
03/01/2018: As you can see, the Web Site has recently changed in its format and your webmaster just now has been able to add to the site information. What a process compared to the old!! As the learning process is completed - posts and navigation may become more user friendly..
Currently VL Road has been clear to the Trumbull Lake campground entrance, However, there has been some ice on the roads. Roads in the subdivision and mostly closed but a few may be drive able a short distance depending on snow pack and ice below the snow.
NOTICE - ROAD CLOSURES
From Mono County - February 27 at 5:00 p.m.
Due to the severity of the winter storm and winds forecasted for Thursday March 1 and continuing into Saturday, March 3, we anticipate the following winter road closures to occur no later than 5:00 p.m. Thursday:
Rock Creek Road: Will be closed at the Snow Park.
Lundy Lake Road: will be closed at the first gate.
Virginia Lakes Road: Will be closed at the bottom parking lot (Jordan Basin Road).
Actual road closures and activity will be updated periodically - please consider this a warning and plan accordingly.
Here is the link to the County Road closure site: https://www.monocounty.ca.gov/roads/page/county-road-closures
01/23/2018: Mono County is having a public meeting at the Lee Vining Community Center on January 30 at 5:30 P.M. to discuss avalanche risks in the County and how the County operations are impacted as well as the ways in which local and non-local property owners can stay informed about conditions. The County has also mailed a flyer to all Virginia Lakes property owners and other areas, to their address of record.
Here is the flyer info:
MONO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS POST OFFICE BOX 457 • 74 NORTH SCHOOL STREET • BRIDGEPORT, CALIFORNIA 93517 760.932.5440 • Fax 760.932.5441 • monopw@mono.ca.gov • www.monocounty.ca.gov
Parks • Community Centers • Roads & Bridges • Land Development • Solid Waste Building Maintenance • Campgrounds • Airports • Cemeteries • Fleet Maintenance
AVALANCHE TERRAIN RISKS, THREATS, and OPERATIONS
PUBLIC MEETING
January 30TH, 5:30 P.M. Lee Vining Community Center
Agenda
1. Risks to life and property within avalanche terrain 2. Forecasting methods 3. County Operational Decisions 4. How to stay informed 5. Comments and Questions
How do I stay informed of developing emergencies?
Avalanche threats, like other emergencies and natural disasters, frequently arrive at a moment’s notice and require immediate action to protect life and property. Traditional notification methods like land-line ‘reverse 911 calls,’ emergency sirens, road closures, announcements, and knocking on the front door of a home are all effective – so long as the person is physically present to see or hear it.
When an emergency situation arises when a Mono County resident is away on vacation, or a second home owner is not present, the risk to their life safety is eliminated but the risk to their property remains. Fortunately, there is a method to stay informed, which is to subscribe to Code Red Emergency Notifications.
This is a free service to all residents, visitors and property owners. The Mono County Sheriff’s Department subscribes to this service and oversees the implementation of notifications.
How does it work?
1. Sign up. Enter your name, identify one or more addresses (place of business, residence, rental, etc.) where you want to receive notifications, and provide one or more contact phone numbers for the address. It takes about 5 minutes. 2. When a disaster/emergency occurs that requires notification, the Sheriff’s office determines what area is impacted, and initiates Code Red Alerts for that area. If your address is within that area, the number you provided will receive a phone call notifying you of the emergency.
Sign up for Code Red by visiting this site: https://public.coderedweb.com/cne/en-US/09531DC35832
Another way to stay informed of developing situations in the County is to check the County Road Closures page, at https://www.monocounty.ca.gov/roads/page/county-road-closures. This page is updated regularly, and provides basic information on County Road Closures that are currently in effect. Closures may be due to flooding, snow removal, avalanche risk or other factors, and may impact access to and from private lands within the County.
01/08/2018: HAPPY NEW YEAR! The website has not been accessible to update since early December due to updating of the format and platform by Go Daddy. This process is still ongoing but your web master was just able to gain access to the old site to be able to do current updates until the new platform is on line.
On 1/7 there was around 7 inches of snow on Virginia Lakes Road at the subdivision area. The road had not been plowed by Mono County this past weekend from the recent storm.
This morning the 8th, the weather had changed and wet moisture was hitting the ground turning the snow into mushy snow on the road areas. VL Road is clear at lower elevations.
The weather is supposed to change to snow this afternoon and continue into Tuesday with the potential of a foot or more. Weather to clear on Wednesday or so.
The last trash service pickup was on 12/25. This has been the latest yearly pickup since trash service was started. The dumpster has been locked off with a special lock to only allow year-round residences access to the dumpster until trash service is re-started in May-June 2018. Please take your trash home with you until the trash service is re-started.
On 12/15 twelve (12) "No Trespassing/Private Property/Unauthroized Parking - Tow Away" signs were placed on "A" type barricades at the various driveway entrances into the private property areas along the north side of VL Road and also at Rand Road. In addition, Three (3) "Private Property/No Trespassing" signs were placed on the north side of the subdivision at the end of Tip Top, Glacier, and near the high water tank were the subdivision private property boundaries are located.
Also, once more snow is on the ground, additional vertical "Private Property/No Trespassing" signs on 8 foot orange poles will be placed along VL Road and Northern private property boundary areas to supplement the "A" barricade signs. The sign and poles will be moved up as snow depth increases.
Hopefully the signs will advise recreational skiers and snowmobilers where the private properties are and to notify them of areas not to enter or cross.
Mono County Sheriff's office has advised that they will respond to calls of trespassers on private property. Also, unauthorized vehicles parked on the private property areas have the potential of being towed per California vehicle code (CVC) 22658(a)
Check out the "Pictures" page for a look a few signs.
11/17/2017: Here are a few pictures that were taken this morning in the subdivision, Several feet of the white stuff!! No other details available. Check out the "Pictures" tab.
On a side note: If you would like to contribute to the purchase of some no trespassing, resident parking only, and private property signs and some "A" type barricades that will be used at the various street entrances during the winter months - please send a note via the "Contact Us" tab. We are trying to determine the make up of the sign verbiage and the number of barricades needed. We already have the poles and other No Trespassing signs that will be placed along VL Road in the subdivision - which have already been paid for by a couple members. Once we have the cost of the additional signs and barricades, we will notify those that would like to contribute. Any amount would be helpful. Please note: This is not a Virginia Lakes Mutual Water project and therefore not an expenditure from its funds. This is a member project to protect our subdivision from unwanted use of our private parking areas and trespassers across sub private properties during the winter. THANK YOU.
11/16/2017: Snow level around 7:30 PM tonight was 1 1/2 to 2 feet in the subdivision with snow still coming down with an estimated of 7-9 inches more to come. Snow is dense plus winds and drifts. VL Road was plowed twice today. Storm tapers off Friday morning and then returns Sunday with chance of snow into Wednesday.
11/12/2017: The operational change to plow to Trumbull Lake turnoff vice Rand Road (until the County is able to keep the road open) along with the other Snow Removal Road priorities was approved by the Mono County Supervisors on November 7th. Virginia Lakes Road still remains a class IV road. If for some reason that there are plowing issues, snow buildup, etc. the fall back location will be Rand Road. We are hoping that is not necessary. We had three members that spoke before the Supervisors: Jack Copeland, Ross Oswald, and Mark Stoltz. Also in attendance was Frank Chop. We want to thank all those that sent in emails, letters, or made phone calls to the Mono County Supervisors or other County Staff members. It was overwhelming to say the least of the amount of support that was sent/called in!!! THANK YOU!!
YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED
It is very important that subdivision property owners and any other interest parties respond and/or attend the meeting regarding this important change to the plowing and parking concerns. Please provide you comments at the meeting or send them to District 4 Board Supervisor John Peters - PO Box 128 Bridgeport, CA 93517 - work 760-932-5532 - email: jpeters@mono.ca.gov.
This change would potentially help in controlling and making more parking available just off 395 on Virginia Lakes Road and move the parking at Rand Road out of the subdivision and into Forest Service property.
There have been many issues with the parking or lack thereof during the winter months at the area just off 395 on Virginia Lakes Road when the road is closed. In addition there have been many issues regarding the parking during winter months when the road has only been open to Rand Road i.e., from trespassing onto the surrounding private properties, improper parking, unauthorized camping, camp fires, trash, toilet/sanitary issues, lack of enforcements of these and other issues.
Moving the road closure out of the private property area at Rand Road and into the Forest Service area at Trumbull Lake turnoff will hopefully improve conditions.
Below is the notice of "Review of Snow Removal Priorities":
Date: November 7, 2017 To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Board of Supervisors From: Brett McCurry, Road Operation Superintendent Re: Review of Snow Removal Priorities
Recommended Action: 1. Receive staff report regarding current snow removal priorities. 2. Provide direction to staff regarding modifications to current snow removal priorities. 3. Consider and potentially adopt Resolution No. R17-___, “A Resolution of the Mono County Board of Supervisors Re-Establishing Snow Removal Policies, Procedures, and Priorities for County-Maintained Roads.” 4. Provide any desired direction to staff.
Fiscal Impact: None.
Discussion: The Board of Supervisors annually considers policies, procedures, and priorities for the Department of Public Works’ snow removal operations that are memorialized through Board Resolution, with supporting written policies and a countywide map. Upon annual review of the priorities and map, the Board has the opportunity to add or delete streets, change priorities or procedures, or make other changes as necessary.
Public Works has confirmed with the Eastern Sierra Unified School District that their bus routes remain the same and will not require changes in snow removal priorities for this season.
One noteworthy change to the map is the inclusion of individual street names in each Zone of Benefit, which had been referenced as ‘zones’ in past maps.
The draft Board Resolution with Exhibits are included with this item. Also included is a quickreference spreadsheet listing the roads and their respective priority, by road district. Full-size copies of the map and individual Road Area maps will be available at the meeting for Board reference.
BOS Staff Report November 7, 2017 2018 Snow Removal Policy, Procedures and Priorities Page 2 of 2
Parks • Community Centers • Roads & Bridges • Land Development • Solid Waste Building Maintenance • Campgrounds • Airports • Cemeteries • Fleet Maintenance
Specific Operational Changes There is one operational change that is anticipated this season, with respect to Virginia Lakes Road. Based on comments received from Virginia Lakes property owners, so long as the County is able to keep the road open, the County intends to plow the road to the end of the pavement and provide a turnaround at the Trumbull Lake Campground turnoff, instead of ending the plowing within the private property subdivision at Rand Road. Upon heavy snows and closure, the County will monitor the parking lot near the bottom of Virginia Lakes Road in an effort to maintain as much parking as possible, and determine whether parking controls are necessary at this popular recreation destination.
If you have any questions regarding this item, please contact me at 760.932.5449. I may also be contacted by email at bmccurry@mono.ca.gov.
Respectfully submitted,
Brett McCurry Road Operations Superintendent
Attachment: Attachment 1 – Draft Resolution Exhibit A – Snow Removal Policies Exhibit B – Snow Removal Priority Map
---------END of Notice ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Pass
Attention: The cost of the Senior Pass will increase from $10 to $80 beginning August 28, 2017. Senior Passes that have been purchased before this date will still be valid. Find out more about changes to the Senior Pass and read the press release regarding the senior pass price increase. If you are 62 or older you can purchase the pass for the current price of $10 through August 27, 2017. The USGS Store sells these passes online with an additional $10 processing fee. Due to high demand online orders are currently being processed within nine weeks. Mail-in orders are currently being processed within twelve weeks.
- Lifetime Senior Pass: $10*
- Eligibility: U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or older. Applicants must provide documentation of age and residency or citizenship.
- Covers: Entrance fees to federal lands (same as America the Beautiful Annual Pass). This pass may also cover a 50 percent discount on amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping and specialized interpretive services. Always check with you destination to learn what is covered.
- Generally does not cover: Fees charged by concessionaires and some tour fees.
Weather has been nice in the subdivision the last several weeks. Temps during the day have been in the low to mid 80s with night time temps in the mid to low 40s. Some afternoon rain last week was nice to bring moisture to the trees and settle down the dust on the roads.
Repair work was completed on 8 water valves/risers that had been damaged by vehicle run- overs when the snow run-off was taking place and roads were soft and muddy. Five (5) of the valve locations were at the top of Tip Top Lane and Pinecrest Drive and 3 were at or near the Easy St. entrance at the old VL Road right-away. Repairs hours just for the Tip Top/Pinecrest valves was 8 hours of labor with backhoe work, replacement risers, and sand and road base fill. Large boulders have been placed around the valves at both locations to hopefully protect them from further drive over and damage.
A conversation took place with County Supervisor John Peters today regarding various issues that are of concern. Mainly, vehicles speeding up and down Virginia Lakes Road through the subdivision areas (big SAFETY concern); need for additional speed limit and residential signage; snowmobilers and skiers going through the private property of the subdivision during the winter; winter parking issues at the snow park area on VL Road just up from 395; road plowing and etc.
Supervisor Peters would like to hold a "Town Hall Meeting" during the Labor Day weekend period here in the subdivision if there is an interest from property owners. We think this would be a great forum to express our concerns regarding the above issues, especially being able to SAFELY walk along or drive out onto VL Road without being run over by speeding vehicles.
If you are interested in having a "Town Hall Meeting" with Supervisor Peters, PLEASE, send a note via the "Contact Us" tab to us. We will forward any interest received to Supervisor Peters. Should a "Town Hall Meeting" be arranged, the date, time, and location will be posted here on the Web Site, along with an email to all those that sent in a "Contact Us" note regarding the meeting.
Thank you! Have a great summer - it is almost over!
The annual member meeting on July 1 was attended by over 30 members. Handouts and various reviews and updates were provided as well as all the 2016 accomplishments and 2017 potential projects. The Board Members for 2016/17 somehow volunteered to continue serving and were re-elected for the 2017/18 period. The 2018 Annual Member meeting will be held on Saturday, July 7, 2:00 P.M. at the pump house area - 67 Tip Top Lane.
Snow melt run-off was still an issue, especially at the top of Tip Top Lane with small streams of snow melt going down various roads and across lots. There were quite a few soft mud areas where run-off was heavy and collecting. Some of the run-off was below the surface in other areas such as Easy St. causing soft road areas.
Several of the water valve risers and covers have been run over by vehicles, driving where they should not have been, causing some damage to the risers and covers. This damage will require many hours of repair work to dig them up, replace any damaged pieces, straighten them up, fill with rock and sand, and place boulders or barriers around them to prevent further damage. This damage is very frustrating to the Board as the damage was very visible but no one came forward to advise a board member of the damage done. In the future, if the party causing the damage can be determined, the costs to repair the damage will be passed on, and not just passed on to all members via funds in the general fund.
Mono County Supervisor John Peters also attended the meeting and provided an update on several things going on in the County as well as his goals and a little of his background. He also provided his contact information should any member wish to contact him: Email: jpeters@mono.ca.gov; Office: (760) 932-5532; FAX (760) 932-5531; and MOBILE (775) 671-7126.
One recent issue has been about the increasing amount of noise throughout our sub-division from barking dogs, mainly during night time periods. One instance was continual from 8 PM until Midnight. While we understand dogs are part or our families and bringing them up with you is fine, we ask you to consider the impact on others. Most of us come to our cabin/homes up here for peace and quiet and away from city noise. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
The weather between 6/18 and today 6/26 has been very warm. Night time temps have been between 42 and 46 degrees with the day time between 81 and 85. The snow melt was pretty bad with almost all subdivision roads impacted with rivers of water. Trumbull Creek was overflowing at the Tip Top and VL Lakes Road area culvert that goes under VL Rd. The majority of that runoff went down the old VL Rd area on the north side of VL Rd. That particular runoff has subsided and most of the creek flow is making it under VL Rd now.
The snow melt runoff has created many deep mud areas on subdivision roads. The most severe have been the lower portion of Easy St. just off VL Rd.; the top of Pinecrest Dr. and Tip Top Lane intersection; Tamarack at Beaver Run; and on the lower portion of Tip Top by the pump houses. Caution should taken "Enter at your own risk" when crossing the above areas - especially Easy St just off VL Rd. where there is deep mud and water runoff coming from underground - beware of ORANGE SAFETY CONES in this area - do not drive over water valve covers; Top of Pinecrest with surface water runoff, and at Tamarack and Beaver Run with surface and underground runoff.
The runoff is slowing down and some road areas are starting to dry out on the surface. However, they can still be soft underneath.
All roads are currently clear of snow except for the upper portion of Summit Dr. at the typical snow drift area. The Summit drift may be clear with a single car path by this coming weekend due to some hand shovel clearing yesterday to help accelerate the melting process. The very upper portion of Summit Dr. still has 10-15 feet of deep hard snow.
Trumbull Lake Campground and the two along Lower Virginia Lakes Creek remain closed. A conversation with the Forest Service on 6/20 indicated that there is the possibility all three campground areas may remain closed for the season.
On 6/22 Big Virginia Lake still had lots of ice on the lake - but not safe to venture out on. Little Virginia is ice free and the VL Resort is open. Trumbull was mostly ice free except for a few areas.
Water systems are operational but we are still waiting for Mono County Health Department approval to serve our members. The approval should be this week as all water tests have been completed.
A liner was installed in the upper "High" storage tank this past weekend to take care of tank leaks. The liner will allow the tank to be filled to capacity for the first time in many years.
Check out the "Pictures" tab for a picture of Big V ice and Easy St.
There will be a Board Meeting on Saturday, July 1, at 9:30 p.m. at 32 Lodgepole Drive. Any member is welcome to attend the meeting. Also, The Annual Member meeting will be held on Saturday, July 1, at 2:00 p.m. at the pump house area at 67 Tip Top Lane. There will be refreshments after the meeting. See you there!
The meeting agendas, for both meetings, were posted on 06/25 in the Bulletin Board enclosure on the north side of the solar pump shed next to the trash dumpster. If any member would like a copy of the agenda (s) sent electronically, please complete the "Contact Us" form via the tab on the left.
Check out the "Pictures" tab for a few recent pictures of the subdivision roads.
On 6/12 the morning temp was 22 degrees and snowing! Go figure! This year has been a crazy weather year.
Many roads in the subdivision are still not drivable due to snow drifts in many shaded areas. However, if the weather remains warm this week many roads should be drivable. Here is a status as of this morning:
Glacier still has snow on the roadway and surrounding land areas. The road should be clear by this weekend if the snow melt continues.
Easy is about the same as Glacier.
Lodgepole is clear at the bottom but blocked with snow at the tree area just before Beaver Run.
Beaver Run is blocked with snow.
Tamarack is clear at the very bottom in about 1 cabin but snow bound in areas above that all the way up to Tip Top and the Summit intersection.
Pinecrest has snow on the road but one can get through with 4x4 a ways only to Hawthorne. Snow drifts block the rest of the road clear up to Tip Top.
Tip Top off VL Road is clear up to just above Hawthorne, Watch out for the hole in the road just across from the log cabin as you turn right to go up the hill. Road is very muddy due to water run-off.
Hawthorne has snow on the road and many high low areas. There is a big snow drift just before hitting Pinecrest.
Summit is clear to the top just before the snow drift area where the road flattens out. Just past the big drift the road is blocked with snow drifts all the way past all the cabins.
Trash service was started back up on Thursday June 8th luckily due to Mark Stoltz clearing out most of the snow in the area with his snow cat/Piston Bully, a week or so before, to aid in the snow melt process.
The water systems will be turned on the week of the 19th once all the system lines and tanks are chlorinated, flushed and tested. Once that is done approval to serve everyone has to be received from the Mono County Health Department according to a new California State requirement.
If any updates are received from members on subdivision road conditions they will be posted here on the website!
The snow is melting quickly due to the warmer weather in the High Sierras. But here is a little info from a week or so ago:
On May 19 and 20th the lows at night were between 18 and 19 degrees F with daytime temps in the low 40's. The temps then started to go up at night to the low 30s and then into the mid to high 40s during the day. Typically the night time temps was around freezing causing the melting snow surface to turn crusty instead of mushy as it was during the daytime.
Snow levels in the subdivision varied considerably from dirt in some areas where the sun had melted all the snow to 6 -7 feet in shaded areas. During the time between the 19th and the 30th a good 2 feet or more had melted in some areas. The snow drift on Summit Dr. was still 10-15 feet high but a path had been cut through it, via Snowcat, to help it melt quicker. Many deep snow drifts remain within the subdivision on various properties and road areas.
Little and Big Virginia Lakes and Trumbull still had ice on them and a few brave souls where fishing out on the ice. Trumbull Lake was melting along the edges and had a few areas in the middle that had melt streaks.
The subdivision roads were still not drivable by normal wheeled vehicles and probably will not be for a few weeks yet. A good way to describe the road conditions in the subdivision is "they look like a roller coaster" or worse.
The water systems will not be on for several weeks due to the snow depth covering critical valves, pump tanks, holding tanks and pump houses. Also, due to the amount of water run-off from the snow melt, it would be impossible to located any water leaks from member water lines should there be a broken line from winter freezing or a valve left open.
At this time the earliest anticipated turn-on for the water system is approximately the week of June 19 unless there is considerable snow melt prior to then. Almost all properties in the subdivision are only accessible by foot at this time. A posting will be made when a date is known for the water system turn-on.
The road to Big Virginia is muddy and wet. Dunderberg Meadow Road was plowed by the County in form from VL Road about 1/2 a mile but it was snow bound into the trees at the top of the hill and further along into more trees and shaded areas.
The remaining snow is very heavy and as such, as it melts, it is pulling away from cabin properties. This condition may cause some damage to railings etc. Also, the deep heavy snows from the prior months may have caused other types of property damage. Property owners should review their property once the snow melts to check for any damages.
Also be aware of potential broken branches in overhead trees that could come down and cause injury etc.
Check out the "Pictures" Tab for a few recent pictures.
The County has finished clearing Virginia Lakes Road to the lakes as of today. They have created a parking turn-around area at Rand Road, a parking area near Lodgepole, and possibly parking at a few street entrances, questionable though. They have removed their snow clearing equipment as well.
It is a little early for the Bridgeport 4th of July parade and activities. However, here is a link to the flyer and event schedule.
Opening day, Saturday the 29th, at Little and Big Virginia Lakes was very interesting. The VL Road had only been clear to within a 1/2 mile of Dunderberg Meadow Road by Friday so it was a long walk into the lakes. Little Virginia had about 7-8 feet or so of ice and snow. Once the holes were drilled, there was perhaps 1 foot or a little more of open water below the ice in the deep areas of the lake. There were 11-12 fishermen on the lake, but no one caught a thing in the morning. Some folks left and others went to Big Virginia. There was no one on Big Virginia until late morning. The snow and ice at Big V was about 8-9 feet with very mushy snow/ice till about a foot or less before breaking through. Several holes were made near were Blue Lake comes into to Big V and a few to the southwest in deep areas. The weather was very nice with mostly blue sky.
Fishing was slow at first but picked up with some small Rainbows, Brookies and Browns between 10-12 inches. However, three young girls with their dads caught a couple nice ones about 12 to 18 inches (2 plus pound range) using worms. Still perhaps only 10-12 people on the lake.
Sunday the 30th, there was no one on Little in the morning and about 7 on Big V. Fishing was slow again to start with, then picked up in late morning. Most fish caught were in the 8 to 12 inch range. Again weather was nice with blue sky. Sunday late afternoon, there were only 2 fisherman on the lake with the same results as in the morning - nothing big.
The County began clearing VL Road again on Tuesday the 2nd and made it just past Dunderberg Meadow Road with mostly 2 lanes open and some snow on the road here and there. Snow depth was high in the drift areas and was hard packed.
By Wednesday May 3th, they had made it to Lodgepole with a little between 1 1/2 lanes open.
On Thursday the 4th, they cleared 1 1/2 lanes to Rand Road, created a parking area there and were widening the previously cleared road to the west of Lodgepole to 2 lanes.
On Friday morning the 5th, the county goal was to widen from Lodgepole to Rand Road for 2 lanes and just start to work past Rand Road. By the end of Friday they had 1 lane open just past VL Resort's entrance road. There would be no clearing on Monday the 8th, workers day off, with startup on the 9th again. The county goal was to clear the road to the lakes by the end of Friday the 12th.
On Saturday and Sunday around 8 to 9 inches of new snow fell. However, due to warmer temps most of this new snow has melt down with 1 to 2 inches remaining.
This morning, the 9th, the county was working to widen VL Rd. from Rand Road to the resort to 2 lanes and start clearing the road to Big Virginia.
As of today. there is still lots of snow in the subdivision. Snow depth ranges from 4-8 feet in most areas with drifts in many areas with greater depths. The snow drift on Summit Dr. was still 15 feet or more. No subdivision roads are open to drive a vehicle on except via snow cats or snowmobiles etc.
Some damage to solar panels mounted on roofs and short pole mounts was observed. Some building fascia boards have been damaged by overhanging snow and ice. I am sure there may be other damage to some buildings that is still covered by snow and not yet visible.
A date for opening the water system has not been determined due to the amount of snow remaining. A review of snow conditions and facilities will be conducted in approximately 2 to 3 weeks to come up with an estimated date to open the water systems. Once determined a date will be posted here on the web site. I would not expect the water system to be on by Memorial weekend based on what the current snow conditions are today!
Check out the recent pictures taken at the "Pictures" Tab.
The county cleared VL Road from the heliport to the lower campground gate (Road #139) this afternoon. However, they are still working to clear the drift at the curve area east of the heliport to two lanes to ensure safe travel through that area. There is no information on any parking areas along the road so far cleared. It is possible the county may make further progress on clearing the road, but it is almost certain they will not have it cleared to the lakes come this Saturday. This will be the last update before opening day unless a good internet connection can be obtained.
Check out the pictures of the road area west of the heliport to the lower campground gate at the "Pictures" tab.
A check at Big Virginia Lake found that there is approximately 2 feet of snow on top of the ice on the lake. Ice thickness was not checked. The lake edge is sound and has not melted away as in past years.
The latest news from today is that Mono County may only be able to clear Virginia Lakes Road to the Heliport area just after the big curve in the road. The snow drift on the curve before the heliport is between 40-50 high and is pretty much solid ice. The county has broken two snow blowers in their attempt to clear the road for 2-way traffic. They hope to make a parking area near the heliport area if they can by Friday this week. They have asked that folks not block the road or their equipment. Also, if folks park in the snow park area that they park to the west end of the parking area as the county will be parking their equipment on the east end of the parking area. If there is a road closed sign "Do not" drive past it.
There has been some new snow in the area this week, but temps are helping to melt the new snow as well as old snow. There have also been strong winds in the area.
The last update on road conditions will be on Wednesday evening the 26th as the Webmaster is unable to update the site while in the subdivision area due to the terrible internet connections etc.
Check out the recent pictures of the curve drift area and road conditions near the heliport and lower campground road.
Mono County began clearing snow on Virginia Lakes Road on Monday 04/10. However by Saturday morning the 15th they had only made it to the big drift area at the top of the first incline past the bridge. There was about a foot of new snow on Thursday the 13th with high winds. Snow conditions were nice for snowmobiling. Several skiers were in the area as well. Temps were from the mid 40's during the day to mid 10s to 20s at night. A recent storm on Sunday 16th brought some new snow and high winds again. There are still high snow drifts in the sub division and with general snow depth settling but still in the 6 plus foot range.
Check out the "Pictures" tab for a few recent pictures.
The State of California Fire Prevention Fee has been sent out by the State. Be sure and go to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association site at http://firetaxprotest.org and check for the update on their lawsuit. Also click on the "Petition" box and send in your Petition for Redetermination to protect your rights and protest the fee. Below is a quick up date from their site:
Fire Tax Update
Published on April 5, 2017 by Fire Tax Protest in Uncategorized
We have finished reviewing and classifying the 12,000 pages of documentation we obtained from CalFire through discovery! We now need your help to file our “Motion for Summary Judgment.”
The final evidence needed for our “Motion for Summary Judgment” is written testimony directly from the people paying the Fire Tax. We are especially interested in hearing from those who have paid the “Fire Prevention Fee” but never received an inspection or any particular service in exchange for the “fee.” If you would be willing to give your written testimony, please click on “Submit Information,” or click here.
This massive “Motion for Summary Judgement” will be based on the undisputed facts gathered from CalFire’s documentation and on the written testimony we receive from people like you. We hope this Motion will allow us to get a final decision on the case this summer.
Of course, we do have to accept the possibility that, should we prevail, CalFire may appeal. But that is true of every lawsuit. We know this case has taken a long time to prepare, and we are sensitive to the fact that you have been paying the tax in the meantime. But we’re making good progress. Thank you for hanging in there.
The following information was received from the Mono County Road Department regarding the start to clear Virginia Lakes Road of snow: "My crews were expecting to get started on Virginia Lakes Road later this week. It will take some time to get it open due to the drifting and total snowpack. However, there is another large storm headed our way later this week which will delay our efforts."
Also as a side note, they have asked that people do not drive past the "Closed Road" signs as the County will have equipment on the road and the road may be one lane for a while until they can widen.
There is a big storm coming in around Thursday/Friday and is expected to drop a lot of snow.
A trip to the subdivision between 03/11 and 03/17 was a fun and snow digging time. Since the last trip in February there had been more snow with caused multiple locations for digging snow out for access to cabins, water, shed, and snowmobiles. There was probably 1 1/2 to 2 feet of additional snow in general areas but up on Summit Dr. there was much more caused by the wind and snow drifts.
Day time temps were in the mid 40's and night times around the mid 20's. Weather during the day was generally clear with some winds from time to time. Virginia Lakes Road was still closed at the snow park area - so if walking or skiing in it was a good 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours of exercise. Snow has built up on many cabin roofs to over 4-6 feet depending on the area which may cause some issues down the road. The snow is very heavy!! Some solar panels that have been mounted on several cabin roofs have been damaged from the weight of the snow. Solar panels mounted on "Pole Top Mounts" that are high enough have managed to escape any damage. Poles mounted too low have snow build up if the open area below the panels is not over 8 feet.
Snowmobile riding was good up to the Virginia Lakes area and out Dunderberg Meadow Road.
A few cabins up on Summit Dr. have a fairly large amount of snow buildup around them which mainly has been caused by winds. One cabin only had the top 1 foot or so showing of the chimney vent.
The last word received from the County on 03/17 was that they would be starting to clear Virginia Lakes Road in 3 weeks. Based on that, it would put their time-line around Friday 04/07 or Monday 04/10.
Check out the "Pictures" Tab for a few pictures.
Recent storms have brought an additional 1 to 2 feet but the snow has been settling due to warmer temperatures. There is still over 7 plus feet in most areas with the snow drift on Summit Drive at about 15 to 20 feet.
The yearly member letter and assessment was mailed out to most members on 02/21. Also included was a membership certificate(s) that is appurtenant to your Mono County Assessor's Parcel Number and associated subdivision and lot(s) as appropriate. Suspended members will not receive a certificate until the membership is in a "good standing" status. Member name data for the certificate was obtained from Mono County Assessor's records. Some name data had to be shortened or abbreviated due to space availability on the certificate. If the name is incorrect and/or this is a concern to you, please provide the appropriate documentation i.e. Grand Deed or other official documentation that has been filed with Mono County for us to correct our file records. Please mail documentation to the address that is listed on your billing information.
Lots of snow in the subdivision based on a trip between 02/13 and 02/20. VL Road remains closed just west of the snow park area. Getting west is still via ski, sled, snowmobile, snowshoe, snow cat or walking. The main route just west of the bridge is to the left and up the draw then right up the cut ending up just west of the Helo pad area. Winds have been strong with many snow drifts on the road.
Snow in the subdivision is between 6 to 8 feet or more. Snow drifts are in many areas especially on Summit and Tip Top near the end. Snow has accumulated on many roofs to depths of 2 to 4 feet so their many be a possibility of some structural damage if snow storms keep coming. Some snow drifts have surrounded cabins. The snow drift on Summit Dr. is approximately 20-24 feet high.
If traveling in the area, be sure to bring a shovel and survival gear as the walk/ski in is taking around 3 hours or more. There have been days when there are white-outs when the wind is blowing.
Check with Cal Trans/CHP for road closures on 395 if a storm is happening. The drive down on 2/20 saw several cars off the road and/or on their side or turned over between Crowley Lake and 1/2 way down Sherman Grade. Drive carefully and slow in snow - always carry chains!
Check out the "Pictures" tab for a few recent photos.
Just received some pictures from 02/10 that show several more feet of snow and some even deeper from snow drifts. Check out the "Pictures" page.
A recent trip to the subdivision between 01/30 and 02/05 proved to be interesting with lots and lots of deep snow. Virginia Lakes Road is not plowed and is only cleared to the snow park area just in from 395. Depending on winds, the snow covered VL Road is easily passable with snow cat, snowmobiles, skies or snow shoes. Snow depth varies but near the subdivision area the snow is around 6 to 7 feet with snow drifts as high as 20 feet - especially up on Summit Dr. Some cabins have 2-4 feet of snow on their roofs and snow up to the eves. During the period mentioned above about 8 inches of new snow came down. A storm since then has brought an additional 8 inches or so with more coming later this week.
Roads within the subdivision are all snowed in with snow drifts in varying places - especially on Tip Top, Pinecrest, and Summit.
Sierra Snow Cat Services has been going up and down VL Road to near Virginia Lakes Pack Station and keeping the road packed down. Snow drifts do begin to fill in areas along the road when winds pick up.
There has been some activity with skiers in the area and very limited snowmobile activity. I imagine there are lots of groomed snow trails down near June Lakes and Mammoth for the snowmobilers. DJ's at Smokey Bear Flats has lots of snow as well as other areas along 395.
Check out the "Pictures" tab for some recent pictures.
More pictures have been received that were taken on 01/25. They show the snow drifts along some cabins as a result of the winds. Check out the "Pictures" tab.
Check out the latest picture that was taken of the Lodgepole Dr. street sign that sits along Virginia Lakes Road. The snow level is just below the name sign.
More snow in the last couple of days, adding several more feet at a minimum. Check out the pictures, at the "Pictures" tab, of the solar pump house area that were taken this morning. VL Road is only plowed to the snow park area just up from 395 on VL Rd.
Check out the "Pictures" Tab for a few pictures that were taken today. Snow depth varies depending on wind. Big storm coming in tonight into Monday.
Subdivision snow update was received yesterday evening. VL Road has only been cleared to the snow park area with the parking area cleared about 75%. The remainder of VL Rd. is accessible only by ski, snowmobile, snow cat, snow shoeing and or walking. Snow depths vary from 6 feet to 13 feet depending on snow drifts. The typical snow drift on upper Summit Dr. area is around 18-20 feet high. Still waiting on some pictures - so hopefully those will be received this weekend. Another storm is coming back into the area Wednesday evening lasting into the weekend with considerable amount of snow expected. If you are up in that area and have taken some pictures - please send us a picture or two to: ross@virginialakeswater.com and they will be reviewed and possibly placed here in the
"Pictures" tab.
Update: Here is a picture, from this morning of VL Rd. at Conway Summit/395 viewed from the Cal Trans building. See the "Pictures" tab.
Happy New Year!
A recent trip to the subdivision beginning on 12/25 and ending on 12/30 was a very cold one! The night time temp on 12/25 got down to 1 Deg F. Highs during the day ranged from 27 to 43 with most of the lows at night in the high 10s to mid 20s. There was no new snow during that time frame but the existing snow on the ground varied from 1 1/2 feet to 3 feet depending on areas where the sun shined or wind blew. All subdivision roads were not drivable unless one had a snow cat as there was considerable fluffy snow that was not packed down.
The snow berm on Summit Dr. just past the Keller cabin was about 7 feet tall due to the typical snow drift from the wind. Virginia Lakes Road was plowed to Rand Road where the road was closed. VL Road had a few inches of snow at first but was later cleared in most areas by the County snowplow folks. There were quite a few icy areas in shaded areas on the road.
Back country skiers where present and generally parked at Rand Road.
Dunderberg Meadow Road was packed down from VL Road to the Cavanaugh turn off by the High Sierra Snow Cat folks which made the road nice for snowmobiling and cross country skiing.
Check out the "Pictures" page for a few pictures.
NOTE: For older posts go to the "History Page - Old Posts"