Oroville repairs boosting Y-S economy
(part of the Operating Engineers Local 3 union) has more than doubled.
According to Ron Roman, district representative for the union, there are about 320 operating engineers at the site; just two weeks ago, he reported that there were 135, and numbers are expected August.
Those workers are assisting contractors like Kiewit Infrastructure, tree removal companies, and others with drilling, dredging and pouring concrete.
“Most of the guys are very appreciative that a great deal of them are working closer to home,” Roman said Thursday. “It’s a good problem to have that to grow through you have so much work.”
Though Roman couldn’t give specifics on how many YubaSutter operators are working at the dam, he said 80 percent of them live within a 40- to 50-mile radius.
Depending on the classification, the average operator makes just under $70 an hour, he said, which includes benefits. The
operators are also working overtime and double-time hours; as confirmed by Kiewit Project Director Jeff Petersen in a media conference call Wednesday, crews are working at least 10-hour shifts.
Lloyd Burns, president of Western Aggregates in Linda, said the company is providing some of the rock, sand and gravel that will make up concrete on one of the spillways.
“It is creating kind of an employment vacuum for people who do construction work,” Burns said Thursday. “We’ve noticed it for sure.”
Though Western Aggregates hasn’t started supplying aggregate from the Goldfields yet, concrete work will be ramping up in early July, according to Petersen. Matt Notley, senior account supervisor for Edelman, said Kiewit and Western Aggregates are still working out the details of how much aggregate will be provided.
Burns said his company has already provided some miscellaneous rock types for plants up at the dam, but this portion of the project will be much bigger.
“We’ve supplied aggregate for similar projects, but nothing on this scale,” Burns said. “It’s definitely out of the norm.”
The already-intense temperatures at the worksite have prompted concerns for the integrity of the concrete. But during the media conference call Wednesday, Petersen said chilling equipment, ice and shade will be used to manage the concrete temperatures.
Besides managing the heat for workers and concrete, working on such a large-scale project adds some pressure.
“I think it’s obviously a high-profile project with a very tight construction schedule, so all those things add challenges to what we’re doing,” Burns said.
Though some wear-and-tear is expected on the roads to haul aggregate up to Oroville, there is no guarantee the county will receive any funds to pay for repair.
Russ Brown, communications and legislative affairs coordinator for Yuba County, said the county gets some general funding from fees for other trucking activity, but only on a general basis for all roads.
“There is nothing currently set up specifically to offset road wear occurring from the spillway repair activities,” Brown said in an email Thursday. “The county is able to seek federal emergency funds to conduct those repairs. It remains to be seen how that will play out.” Marysville office, 1530 Ellis Lake Drive Business hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.