Battle over Berryessa
Big business threatens to displace family recreation
By Lucy White

The Solano Project, which created the manmade reservoir Lake Berryessa, has attracted water recreation visitors since before it was opened to the public in 1959.

In 1958, there were 800 boats on the lake with no facilities. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation contracted the National Park Service to design a plan for use of the lake. The resulting public use plan, or PUP, included the subsequent contracts for seven resorts. Those resort contracts expire in 2008-09. That should prove to be an opportunity to master plan for the next level of development.

The Bureau of Reclamation initiated a process in 2000 which resulted in four alternatives for the future public use at the lake. The agency's choice - "Alternative B" - is a plan which removes nearly all existing facilities. It includes a major rezoning of the lake under the Water Recreation Opportunity Spectrum, or WROS, system, limiting the boating capacity to 782 from the current 3,000, and restricting speeds from 15 to 45 mph, with other areas to be nonmotorized. The full implication of this alternative drives out the majority of public use and recreation which exists today.

The cumulative impacts include those to outlying communities, not only for recreational opportunities, but also to the economics related to the users and uses. Significant and negative economic impacts include reduced revenues from the traffic going to the lake, fewer jobs in the goods, services and manufacturing industries, and lower revenues from the high ticket items such as boats, recreation vehicles, mobile homes and vacation units.

There has been an enormous public outcry against the Bureau of Reclamation's plan. During the process, the public made 4,000 comments, submitted 17,000 petition signatures, and forwarded 5,000 Congressional testimonies.

Alternative B calls for the removal of all of the long-term vacation sites from the reservoir. The alternative states, "That action would adversely affect the users of those trailers, entirely eliminating that kind of use and that kind of users."

This is blatant discrimination against the long-term users and boaters of the lake. They have been the stewards of the lake, as well as the supportive base to allow affordable short-term uses.

Also, the public is led to believe that under Alternative B, the current long-term vacation sites will be used for traditional camping and RV parks. According to Bureau of Reclamation design standards, the majority of the current long-term sites are on grades inappropriate for short-term uses. Elimination of all long-term vacation sites will simply result in the loss of public land for use by the public. The Bureau of Reclamation alternative virtually dictates traditional recreation with fewer facilities on the vast west side, and expensive houseboat rental operations at the south end.

The alternative allocates 58 miles of shoreline for overnight houseboats, but all seven resorts together utilize only 12 miles of shoreline. Alternative B clearly caters to houseboat use, creating an elitist environment, while limiting public access and recreation. The cost of renting a houseboat is approximately $5,000 per week, which is more than renting a long-term vacation site or mooring a personal houseboat for a year. The plan is dependent on houseboat operations, changing and limiting the uses at the lake. This could be a serious threat to the water quality, which under current uses is one of the best in California.

The framework of the Bureau of Reclamation's alternative precludes the possibility of incorporating even the basic operations of current concessionaires. The plan ignores each and every business model developed at the seven resorts, creating a clean slate both economically and structurally. This boldfaced removal of all operations is irresponsible. It appears to simply be a tactic to destroy value and for a new concessionaire to avoid paying fair value for the improvements at the resorts. The Bureau of Reclamation's financial analysis states, "The analysis indicated that Alternative B would not represent a viable business opportunity if the underlying concession contract(s) stipulated that the concessionaire(s) would have to fund all of the associated capital investment requirements."

Bureau of Reclamation officials repeatedly state that "the shoreline that is currently undisturbed is outside the area of consideration for development." Why? The agency has 135 miles of shoreline outside the resorts. The public use plan describes at least 12 areas for the managing agency to develop and states regarding one area, "Oak Shores Park - 1,000 acres of land and water surface areas, over half of which is land. ... The future major public use area is of such size, character and quality as to permit the development of all types of public use facilities in sufficient quantity to constitute a major park."

A plan for Oak Shores was developed by the Bureau of Reclamation in the early 1970s, a law was enacted in 1974 with an appropriation of $3 million, primarily for increasing short-term use. The result was that $2 million was spent on the Bureau of Reclamation headquarters and $1 million was spent on Oak Shores and Smittle Creek, which both are now day-use areas with minimal facilities. Further, Recreation Area Management Plan Record of Decision in 1993 included "preferred actions" for development of public lands, including Oak Shores, North Area Campground, and boat-in camping areas, yet nothing has been done.

In Alternative B, major public lands, including Oak Shores, are specifically classified for less use: "portions of lake surface also would be reclassified according to WROS criteria. Several of these would include the areas between Oak Shores day-use area, the Smittle Creek day-use are, Small Island, and Big Island, which would change from Rural to Rural Natural/Non-motorized. ... Under WROS, these islands would remain unimproved, without picnic or camping facilities. ..."

After nearly 50 years of opportunities to develop facilities for the public, the Alternative B proclaims, "The most significant additions to recreation services offered by Reclamation in this alternative would be a substantial trail development program along the lake. ..." More significant is the 30 to 50 miles trails authorized which the Bureau of Reclamation has not built.

Has the Bureau of Reclamation forgotten that this is public land that should have the greatest good for the greatest number of the public? Is the agency trying to lock-out the public users and create a limited-use lake? Is big business trying to take over the resorts and/or privatize public lands? Whatever it is - recreation opportunities, freedom of choice, access, investments - with the Bureau of Reclamation's alternative, I believe Americans have a lot to lose, including the middle class lock-out to Lake Berryessa and a loss of a modern culture of recreation use has to be stopped.

The resort owners plan, or Alternative A, was submitted during the comment period and would create a new master plan for each resort with major improvements and increased public use for all types of users, while focusing on developing additional short-term uses. This alternative would retain the water classifications to optimize recreation.

Lake Berryessa is an enormous lake with nearly 20,000 square acres of water surface, and 170 miles of shoreline. Any plan should optimize public recreation and access. The resort owners plan is a sound sustainable plan, which builds on proven economics, encourages economic growth to related businesses, and supports local economies.

Solano County has a vested interest in the lake and should realize greater value of such a resource.

• The author is co-owner and vice president of Rancho Monticello Resort on Lake Berryessa and a member of the Lake Berryessa Resort Owners.

"Controversy at Lake Berryessa"
 Capital Public Radio KXJZ 88.9
"Insight" Tuesday January 3rd at 2PM

Click Here To Listen To Show 

The "Controversy at Lake Berryessa" will be the featured panel discussion tomorrow on the Capital Public Radio show "Insight."  Insight is a daily, in-depth interview program hosted by KXJZ Jeffrey Callison, providing context and background to the issues facing our region. Lake Berryessa  Government officials hope to remove some thirteen-hundred trailers that occupy developed shore along Lake Berryessa, west of Davis.  Should the occupants be allowed to keep their leases, or should they make way for recreation? Tomorrow Jeff's guest panelist will be:

Woody Fridae, Vice Mayor, City of Winters
Oscar Braun, Executive Director of the California Watershed Posse
Diane Dillon, Napa County Supervisor
Dorothy Lind, Napa Valley Economic Development Corp
Carol Kunz, President,Napa County Chapter Sierra Club 

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