LAKEPORT >> Lakeport’s primary public place for boat launching and sightseeing may open soon, but not without a thorough pickup.
Clear Lake swamped most of Library Park in February, pushing the waterfront all the way to Park Street, well beyond the picnic tables, benches, and even the iconic gazebo. Recent stormy conditions also gifted the park with debris.
“We’re trying to clean the area first,” said Lakeport Police Lt. Jason Ferguson. “We don’t have an exact date on when it will open.”
Ferguson said the park could still be a public safety risk; barriers and tape will continue to stay up as long as the lake stays above the park’s seawall. As of Wednesday afternoon, the lake stood at 9.11 on the Rumsey Gauge, just barely over flood stage level.
Boat launch sites around Library Park remain closed along with all other public launch sites around the lake. Since the lake reopened, most private, for-profit launch sites have resumed normal functions, allowing anglers a their fix.
According to an anonymous frequent customer of Clearlake Bait & Tackle, the fishing is good, but the limited lake access has die-hard boaters paying more money to use private ramps. All things considered, it’s still worth a good fishing spot.
“It’s nice out there,” he said. “There’s not any debris on the lake.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Water Resources and Fish & Game departments have frequented the closed lake for the past few weeks to clean up stray docks, as well as other debris that flowed into the lake during heavy storms and flooding. While they handled some of the larger items, the shorelines took hold of the rest.
The very same type of debris washed up onto Lakeshore Boulevard, North of downtown Lakeport. The roadway reopened yesterday morning, and crews began to sweep off the asphalt and dispose of broken docks, trash and other flotsam.
“It’s what’s washed out, that’s the question,” said Jeromy Barker, a landscaper who was cleaning up a regular client’s home. Some parts of the property that had earthwork at one point, all of which has since washed away completely. “I’m sure a lot of the docks are ruined, too.”
True enough, Barker and other crews in the area have taken large, nail-ridden planks out of the waters and off the road.
Barker said he’s received several calls from lakefront properties. Most of his work in recent days has consisted of gathering and disposing of the debris.
Many of the homes on Lakeshore sit close to the lake and remain water-logged. As recent reports suggest, those homes are likely flooded completely.
“This person’s lucky,” Barker said, nodding toward his client’s home. “They’re high up and have a good seawall. Others’ are still completely flooded.”
