Copper theft reported at city-run camp near Lake Tahoe

A string of copper burglaries in and around South Lake Tahoe in the past few months will cost the city of Concord tens of thousands of dollars to repair, according to police.

Lt. Pete Van Arnum of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said thus far, a Concord-run camp in South Lake Tahoe will need roughly $50,000 in plumbing and electrical repairs after copper thieves stripped two cabins during heavy winter snowfall.

Van Arnum said the second cabin was found stripped of its copper plumbing after investigators came in to check in on another cabin that had been burglarized.

The time frame of when the thieves stole the copper from the cabins is unclear, Van Arnum said, and it is also unclear how many people participated in the thefts.

What is clear, however, is that the job paid well.

"There are metal yards in California and Nevada where you can take copper in buckets and they will weigh it and you can sell it like any other precious metal," Van Arnum said. "I have no idea what they use the money for, but copper is quite valuable."

Because there are no identification marks on copper wire, Van Arnum said it is hard to trace stolen copper and that the Concord-run cabins were not the only ones to get hit during periods of frigid winter weather.

Van Arnum also said that roughly 600 feet of copper wire was stolen from just outside of Placerville in the last month. The theft will cost that city roughly $40,000, he said.

A bathroom in a state park on the west shore of Lake Tahoe was also vandalized in the past month, Van Arnum added, and the amount of copper stolen totaled between $10,000 and $15,000.

Concord officials have put in a request for $25,000 to fund planning, specification and estimates for the repair work in part of the mid-year budget review that the City Council will consider Tuesday night. That figure does not include construction costs, which will be requested later, according to the budget document.

The thieves stole "significant" amounts of copper wire and piping from the bathhouse and other buildings at the camp and vandalized floors, walls and doors, according to the request.

Copper theft is a growing problem for city and county governments, utilities and private contractors as scrap prices rise. In the same budget document, officials also requested $325,000 to "harden" wiring boxes and replace stolen wire along the BART path in the Port Chicago and Crystal Ranch areas.

Contact Daniel M. Jimenez at djimenez@bayareanewsgroup.com or follow him at Twitter.com/DMJreports. Contact Katie Nelson at 925-945-4780 or follow her at Twitter.com/katienelson210.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22525788/concord-copper-theft-reported-at-city-run-camp