LOWER LAKE — Residents on Cache Creek are a bit disturbed with the amount of water that disappeared over night. Several docks along the creek are grounded and residents fear the situation could be quite costly.
“It wasn”t like this Wednesday morning,” said area residents Teresa and George Learned. “This happened over night.”
The problem, George Learned said, is that water is released from Cache Creek Dam by Yolo County according to Rumsey Gauge readings without consideration for creek conditions. He said in the past two weeks, the creek level has dropped five to six feet, leaving boats and docks stranded on dry land.
“They just let (the water) out without knowing what”s going on with the creek,” George Learned said. “I think it”s their responsibility to monitor the level of the creek not just the lake.”
The Learneds have owned property on Cache Creek since 1980. George Learned said that the same situation presented itself about 10 years ago and, according to Learned, Yolo County had to pay costs associated with damage suffered by several residents living on the creek. “This happened about 10 years ago, too,” Learned said. “(Yolo County) had to come back and fix everybody”s dock and I see it happening again today.”
As Learned pointed out the damage being caused by the low water level, a neighbor could be heard describing the loss he sustained when the pump system on his dock burned out because the water level was too low to siphon the water.
Another neighbor, Learned said, just spend a considerable amount of money on a new dock that is being damaged by the low water level as well. He added that the homeowner has gone out of state and is not here to try to alleviate the problem. “Our neighbor just spent $7,000 on that dock. It”s brand new this year,” Learned said, pointing to the nearly-grounded dock with a ramp wedged against it. “When the water comes back up that ramp is going to get caught on the dock and break it apart.”
Another situation causing a problem, Learned said, is a big mound of gravel that has settled near the bridge on Lake Street. He said the mound has acted as a natural dam causing the water level to be higher on one side of the mound than on the other.
Learned said he thinks the Rumsey Gauge should be located at the dam and not in the lake. “I have pictures from years ago of the creek being dry and the lake being flooded. The Rumsey scale should be at the dam,” he said. “Since we”ve owned this property there has always been a lack of communication with Yolo County.”
Calls to Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and Lake County Department of Public Works Water Resources Division were not returned as of press time Thursday.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com. or call her direct in Clearlake at 994-6444 ext. 11
