Fishermen visiting Clear Lake are all asking the same question right now; “When will the Fifth Street boat ramp in Lakeport close because of the low lake level?” Fifth Street is the only public ramp on the lake still open and even here the water level continues to drop.
Local experts believe the ramp should remain open until at least the middle of November. As of Tuesday, the end of the ramp had approximately 35 inches of clearance. The number of fishermen using the lake has dropped along with the lake level. On most weekdays there are approximately eight to 10 boats launched at the ramp, the number climbing to 15-20 on weekends.
Certainly the fact that bass tournaments, both major and club, have been canceled for the entire month of October because of the low lake level is contributing to the low turnout. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) is now considering canceling tournaments for November as well. The result is that most tournament organizations have rescheduled their tournaments to other lakes such as Lake Shasta, Lake Oroville, the Delta and Lake Berryessa.
As many local residents have said aloud, the county needs to consider installing extender ramp mats. This could be done at the major ramps such as Fifth Street, Lakeside County Park, Redbud Park and the ramps in Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks. The cost per mat is about $15,000 and they could be installed by county and city employees. The extender ramps are normally made of concrete and steel. They are 10 feet wide and up to 70-80 feet long. They are installed by a tractor pushing the new ramp down over the existing ramp. In lakes where extender ramps have been installed they have proven to be very successful. They last approximately 30-40 years.
How long the current drought will last is anyone’s guess. Some scientists are calling for above normal rainfall this winter and other say the drought could continue for several more years. Millions of years ago major droughts lasted up to 200 years. Droughts now last up to 10 years. It is unlikely we will receive significant rainfall before January and even if we do it takes a lot of rain to raise the lake level. It requires at least eight inches of rainfall to raise the lake level one inch. The eight inches is the amount of rainfall needed to saturate the surrounding hills and create runoff.
The drought has changed things considerably and it could get worse. Experts are predicting that if the drought continues into next year the lake level could easily break the record set in 1977 of minus-3.39 feet on the Rumsey Gauge. If the lake level dropped that low it would have a dramatic impact on local businesses and the general public. One of the biggest impacts would involve water companies that draw water from the lake for domestic use. Their intake pipes would be out of the water, meaning they wouldn’t be able supply their customers.
Approximately 35,000 people who live on or near the lake depend on the water these companies provide. Water would have to be trucked in, which is a huge task and expensive. Tourism would drop to near zero and local motels, gas stations and restaurants would feel the impact.
The county should come out with a policy that calls for strict conservation. As it now stands, a person can water his yard and plants as much he wants because there is no restriction on the amount of water that can be drawn from the lake. Yolo County has taken no water for nearly a year but local domestic use is unregulated. That has to change.
