Yolo County will be able to draw down Clear Lake some 30,714 acre feet because the lake level as of May 1 stood at 4.32 feet. A year ago Yolo County couldn’t take any water because the lake was lower than 3.22 feet on the Rumsey Gauge as of May 1.
According to the Lake County Water Resources Department, the Solano Decree specifies how much water is available for use by the Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and their customers (Yolo), and how much water is available in each month of the summer. If Clear Lake is full (7.56 feet Rumsey) on May 1, 150,000 acre feet of water is available to Yolo. An acre foot is the amount of water that will cover one acre of land to a depth of 1 foot or approximately 326,000 gallons. On Clear Lake, 150,000 acre feet amounts to approximately 3.5 feet. If Clear Lake is below 3.22 feet Rumsey on May 1, no water is available to Yolo for release.
An additional 3 feet of water evaporates from the surface during the summer months, therefore Clear Lake can drop from 3 to 6.5 feet in any given summer. On the average, Clear Lake fluctuates 5.6 feet each year.
The high lake level so far this year was 4.55 feet Rumsey on Feb. 22. Pursuant to the Solano Decree, the adjusted May 1 lake level is 4.32 feet Rumsey. Based on this level, 30,714 acre feet is available for use by Yolo. This amounts to approximately 9 inches of depth at Clear Lake.
Assuming that Yolo takes its entire quota of 30,714 acre feet between May 1 and Sept. 30, the projected lake level on June 1 will be around 3.7 feet; on July 1, around 2.9 feet; on Aug. 1, around 2 feet; on Sept. 1, around 1.4 feet; on Oct. 1, around .9 feet; and on Nov. 1, around .6 feet.
Yolo County is required to stop withdrawing water from the lake when the lake level drops to 1 foot on the Rumsey Gauge. It can’t withdraw any water after Nov. 1.
Low lake levels could have an impact on the fishing and boating industry. At zero Rumsey, some of the ramps around the lake would be unusable. The good news is that just about all the major public ramps will be useable just as they were last summer. Some of the docks owned by lakeside residents and secondary ramps could be left high and dry. but that shouldn’t impact most of the boaters and fishermen. As the lake level drops, the bass and other game fish will probably relocate to the deeper water in the south end of the lake.
A low lake level also means clearer water and a whole lot more aquatic weeds, the reason being that sunlight can more easily penetrate to the bottom and spur weed growth. In fact, many people are already predicting massive weed beds for more than a mile offshore this summer. Even so, Clear Lake is in much better shape than most of the other lakes around Northern California.
A good example is Indian Valley Reservoir. That lake level is more than 100 feet down from full and is in fact closed to the public. Yolo County owns all the water in the lake and can draw out all it needs. By the end of the summer the lake level at Indian Valley Reservoir will be at one of its lowest points in the lake’s history.
There could be some good news on the horizon. The long-range weather forecasters are predicting an El Nino pattern this year could result in heavy rainfall during the fall and winter. The other good news is Clear Lake is literally loaded with bass, crappie and catfish, which is good for tourism.
