LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Water Resources Department hosted a Sunday afternoon meeting in Lakeport to discuss the situation with Clear Lake's closure and take input as the county sets about creating a permanent ordinance to address future lake-related emergencies.
Water Resources Director Phil Moy and Sheriff Brian Martin were on hand to hear comments and answer questions from community members during the 80-minute meeting, held in the Board of Supervisors' chambers at the Lake County Courthouse.
Last month, the Board of Supervisors approved an urgency ordinance for boats on Clear Lake that limited speeds to 5 miles per hour as long as the lake's elevation remained above 7.9 feet Rumsey. Weeks later, that was modified to a “no wake zone” 2,500 feet from the shoreline.
That was followed on Feb. 14 by the board's decision to close Clear Lake to all motorized vessels due to the damaging impacts of wakes – even from slow-moving boats – on shoreline properties.
Moy gave an introduction on the urgency ordinance, saying he wanted input on crafting an ordinance that would automatically kick in once the lake reaches a certain level.
He said the Cache Creek Dam has been open and discharging at its maximum rate since the second week of January, with only a brief closure this past Friday to clean out debris.
Despite those releases, the lake’s level continued to climb into flood stage because of the rain, he said.
With each inch of rainfall, Clear Lake’s elevation is raised two to three tenths of a foot. Moy said that January had 15.5 inches of rain and, so far in February, the county has had 13.1 inches of rain, which raised the lake’s elevation by 2.84 feet.
With no other ran coming into the lake a day, Clear Lake’s elevation can drop a tenth of a foot a day. At that rate, Moy said it will take 28 days to get rid of February’s rain so far.
At the time of the meeting, the lake level was just under 10.3 feet Rumsey.
He also touched on the Grigsby Riffle, a rock ledge that crosses Cache Creek and how it impacts the lake level, and the various legal decrees that impact how much water can be released from the lake.
Moy estimated that Clear Lake is likely to remain in flood stage until at least mid-March.
In calculating damages and impacts, he said there are 4,200 properties impacted at the 10 foot Rumsey mark at a total value of $900 million. That’s what the board had in mind when it took the actions to restrict boats, he said.
Moy also acknowledged the importance of fishing tournaments. He said bass fishing brought in nearly $55 million for California in 2015.
He said 12 tournaments were planned in February, of which three were lost. Several more could also be lost in March. He said anglers can easily spend up to $500 a day during their trips.
Moy said the board had attempted to balance fishing tournaments with protecting property by earlier versions of the urgency ordinance that required the no wake zone 2,500 feet from shore. However, he said it was difficult to enforce and was ignored by boaters. Consequently, the board decided not to allow boats in the short term.
The challenge, he said, is how to prevent shoreline property damage, ensure boater safety – including protecting them from debris in the lake – and restore the economic benefits of the lake, both in the long- and short-term.
During public comments, key concerns were raised by members of the fishing community, from sportsmen to guides and business owners, who asked for clear guidance in a future ordinance and also opposed closing the lake before it got to the 9-foot Rumsey flood stage.
Fishing guide Bob Myskey, who has lived on the shoreline for 18 years, said he’s been on the lake during previous flooding in 1998 and 2011. “In all the years it’s been over 9 feet, we’ve been able to boat.”
He also emphasized that boaters have their own responsibility when it comes to dealing with hazards like debris. “We understand what we’re facing out there, that maybe a casual boater won’t.”
Myskey said the guides want to get back out on the lake as quickly as possible. He also recognized the property damage, and said he’s been pulling debris out of the lake himself. Myskey added that much of the damage was the result of high winds.
Guides are losing thousands of dollars a week, he said, adding that March is their busiest month.
Troy Bellah, co-owner of Clearlake Outdoors, said he'd never in his 17 years in the county seen the closure of Clear Lake, which he said is a renowned bass fishing destination that draws people from around the world.
Pointing out that Lake County has a tourism-driven economy, Bellah said he was upset that the boat launches at Library Park and Lakeside County Park were closed even before the lake hit flood stage, which is 9 feet Rumsey.
He said boaters are smart enough to deal with the debris on the lake, and that they assume responsibility for hazards on the water.
Bellah said no one is coming through his front door, which he is OK with due to the lake level, but asked, “When do we open the lake?”
Sheriff Brian Martin, who has lived in Lake County since 1981, remembered experiencing floods in the mid 1980s.
Martin declared a local emergency on Tuesday because of the storms and flooding.
“There is a lot of damage going on” from the flooding, he said, explaining that some people don't understand impacts on homes, docks or infrastructure, some of which is failing, with sewer districts struggling to keep their lines clear. He said boaters may not see all of those impacts.
“It is the county's intent to get this lake opened back up,” said Martin, calling Clear Lake “the jewel of our county.”
Martin said the entire state is dealing with impacts from this winter's storms, quoting an estimate from Gov. Jerry Brown that it may require $1 billion statewide for repairs.
He said he hoped President Donald Trump would declare a federal disaster, as requested by the governor, which would help the county with funding since it declared a disaster.
Martin said the federal government will ask what the county has done to mitigate the damages, and the urgency ordinance was one action to take. He said they’re not trying to hurt people’s businesses, give Clear Lake a bad name or stifle tourism.
“We're trying to be responsible stewards of your taxpayer dollars,” he said, and be able to demonstrate to the upper levels of government that they have been responsible.
Lower Lake resident Tom McFarling asked Martin if he department is providing aggressive patrolling of the lake until it comes down to the 8-foot Rumsey elevation.
Martin said he has one person assigned year-round to the Marine Patrol unit, plus one part-time employee who was pulled in to help during the flooding. Right now they're pulling a lot of the trees out of the lake and patrolling flooded and closed streets.
“That's a long way to say, we're doing the best we can,” he said.
Sarah Ryan, the environmental director for Big Valley Rancheria, said she found several things about the urgency ordinance shocking, including the fact that it wasn't agendized – it had been added as a special item during the meeting – and that the tribes weren't notified beforehand.
She said the tribe conducts monitoring activities on the lake, for which it uses a motorized boat. Under the urgency ordinance, it's not one of the agencies that's exempted. Only the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the sheriff's office are still permitted to operate vessels for enforcement purposes.
Ryan also asked about the monitoring of sewage overflows. Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski said the county has put out advisories and guidelines about coming in contact with contaminated water.
He said the flood water doesn't have as high a bacteria count as raw sewage. “The water's diluted but there's still a risk,” and people should avoid contact with flood water, being sure to using washing and disinfecting protocols if they do. “You shouldn't be in the water unless you absolutely have to.”
Ryan asked about providing dumpsters or a free dump day for those impacted by flooding. Martin said they are working on putting out more dumpsters that would be monitored by the California Conservation Corps or AmeriCorps to prevent people who aren't directly impacted by the flooding from taking advantage of them.
In her other comments, Ryan – referring to Moy's information about the 4,200 flood-impacted impacted parcels – suggested the county map the areas that are under water as a result of the flood.
“We've all been handed a really raw deal with what's going on,” said Kelseyville resident Ross England, a guide and fisherman.
He commended the county for making an effort to include people in the process and have them come in and voice their comments and concerns.
Referring to Moy’s list of goals for balancing the economy, safety and property protection, England said, “How do we do all this? I don’t have a clue. I’m just a fisherman.”
England, who said he wanted to get back on the lake at 9 feet Rumsey, noted that hazards on the water come with the territory. “You guys cannot protect everybody from everything with regards to what’s on the lake.”
Karola Kennedy, Elem Colony's environmental director, also raised the issue of the county's lack of consultation with the tribe before taking action to close the lake. She said she found out about it through a Nixle alert.
One community member asked why the county doesn't provide free sandbags to residents. Martin explained that in 1997 the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution stating that the county will not provide them to the public or fire districts.
That's because when they were being offered people who didn't need them were taking them and fist fights were occurring Martin said. The other issue that arose was that if the county was to provide them, they needed to be available to everyone, which is difficult due to the lake’s 70 miles of shoreline.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen, who was at the meeting along with City Manager Margaret Silveira, said the city had similar concerns as the sheriff and Water Resources about getting the lake reopened and the impact on the county's economy.
He said about 40 Lakeport evacuees had shown up and so city officials were going to host an update meeting for evacuees at the Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist Church, where an evacuation shelter has been set up for Lakeport's displaced residents.
Moy thanked community members for participating, and said he hoped to have an updated and modified urgency ordinance before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that will allow contractors' boats to get out on the lake to begin making repairs to docks and piers.
He said work on a permanent ordinance for future emergencies will be agendized before the board.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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