LAKEPORT — Illegal marijuana gardens, phosphorus and aquatic weeds were addressed Tuesday as issues that affect Clear Lake during the Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Board members agreed to move forward with requests for proposals already sent out that include mechanical harvesting to combat aquatic weeds despite a recommendation by the Clear Lake Advisory Committee to delete mechanical harvesting. The board can later choose not to mechanically harvest the weeds.
Melissa Fulton, chair of the committee, said harvesting weeds can spread hydrilla, an invasive aquatic weed, if the plants get cut.
“It is truly not in the best interests of our stewardship of Clear Lake to embark on this type of aquatic weed control,” read a letter from the committee to the board. “It cannot be done in an effective manner to assure the complete containment of the fragments during the harvesting procedure.”
Board members said they would like to keep the possibility of mechanical harvesting in the toolbox in case it may be cheaper or more effective than using herbicides.
“It”s like the fire hose behind the glass,” Supervisor Jim Comstock said. “You break it as a last resort.”
Supervisors said recreational boats will also likely break up the weeds while using the lake if the county doesn”t harvest them.
Supervisor Rob Brown came in and out of the meeting Tuesday.
Board members discussed whether to continue funding sediment sampling in Clear Lake to check for phosphorus.
Public Works director Brent Siemer said though the county has sampled sediment since the early ”90s, “no one has sat down to analyze it. We”re analyzing it right now.”
Supervisors said they would like the Clear Lake Advisory Committee to discuss the sediment sampling for phosphorus and take the item up at an upcoming board meeting.
“If it means nothing, do we keep spending $20,000 a year hoping 20 years from now a smarter scientist will know?” Siemer said after the meeting.
However, Siemer said phosphorus acts as a fertilizer to help aquatic weeds and algae grow.
Tom Smythe, water resources engineer, said after the meeting that testing sediment is important to learn more about the lake.
“We don”t really understand what is going on in Clear Lake and why we had a huge output of algae last year,” Smythe said.
Greg Giusti of the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee gave the board an overview of issues discussed at public workshops on the illicit production of marijuana on public and private lands. Some of the issues arise with water diversion, water pollution, indiscriminate killing of wildlife and habitat degradation as a result of illegal marijuana grows, he said.
Giusti said the committee would rather have law enforcement get rid of the gardens sooner rather than later in order to protect the environment.
Supervisor Denise Rushing said after seeing photos of blocked-off creeks, pollution and dead animals that the problem seems to have increased in the last five years.
“The effect on wildlife is just horrifying,” Rushing said.
The committee also has Department of Fish and Game fine funding available to allocate for fish and wildlife projects, Giusti said. People can contact Giusti at 263-6838.
The board voted 4-0 to send a letter to the administrative law judge for the California Public Utilities Commission regarding the hike in Cal Water rate fees in Lucerne.
Board members said they would address the issue of funding the Animal Coalition of Lake County during the normal budget cycle to possibly help with spay and neuter vouchers in order to keep the cat and dog population under control. People who want to donate to the coalition can call 995-0552.
Comstock presented Sheriff Rod Mitchell and officers with a proclamation designating this week as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week in Lake County.
Victoria Brandon informed the board during public input that there will be a free Cache Creek Discovery Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 1 at Cowboy Camp Equestrian Campground with wildlife viewing, hikes, educational displays and live music.
Board members agreed to extend the county”s contract with Lake Legal Defense Services for two years.
Supervisors sitting as the Board of Directors of Lake County Sanitation District advanced the sewer use ordinance to have inflationary adjustments determined by the Engineering News Record-Construction Cost Index.
Board members voted 5-0 to offer a resolution to name existing county roads off High Valley Road in Cobb, including Cold Water Creek Road, Rabbit Valley Road, Binkley Road and Lee Spring Road and set a hearing for 9:15 a.m. May 18.
The board agreed to send a letter supporting Heberden Telemedicine”s grant application for a health information network to support hospitals and doctors in Northern California.
Cheri Holden showed the board a video submitted to the We Love Tules contest titled the same made by Robin Shrive and Jerry Peterson that explains the benefits tules have to the lake.
