Napa Valley Register -- Change in Lake Berryessa oversight gains support

A bill from U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson that would make sweeping changes to recreation at Lake Berryessa has built support in Congress and Napa County.

The legislation proposes to take management of recreation at the lake from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), which has had that responsibility since Napa County relinquished it in the 1970s, and give it to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Reclamation would continue to operate and maintain Monticello Dam.

Thompson, D-St. Helena, announced last week that his bill has 60 bipartisan coauthors in the House of Representatives, and it has also received the Napa County Board of Supervisors’ endorsement. The bill is currently in the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Thompson has criticized Reclamation’s performance in managing recreation at the lake, which has seen a dwindling number of tourists in recent years because of the limited services offered at the resorts dotting the lake’s shoreline.

Of the seven resorts, one has a permanent concessionaire, while four are operating under interim contracts offering camping, day use and boat launching but no running water, Thompson said in a news release. The last two sites remain closed.

“There is serious bipartisan momentum behind changing the management status quo at Lake Berryessa,” Thompson said in the release. “My colleagues understand that our federal agencies need to be operating efficiently, and our community has waited too long for BOR to effectively execute its redevelopment plan at Lake Berryessa.”

Reclamation has been in the planning process for finding long-term operators for the six resorts for the past year and a half, since it terminated the contract for its former operator, Arizona-based Pensus Group, for failure to perform.

The plans expect new operators to be in place by the end of 2015, and starting construction on the redevelopment projects in the spring of 2016, according to Reclamation documents.

Agency spokeswoman Margaret Gidding said the agency had no comment on Thompson’s legislation, citing a policy not to discuss pending legislation.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week to support the bill, with Supervisor Diane Dillon saying the Bureau of Land Management is better equipped to manage recreation than Reclamation, whose main mission is to manage dams and reservoirs in the western U.S.

“This has been a long time coming and is not without a lot of necessary consideration,” Dillon said at the meeting. “Working with (BOR) is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. The BLM is a better choice for recreation management.”

Lake Berryessa resident Bob Lee encouraged the supervisors to wait in voting on the endorsement, and said it’s uncertain if shifting management to the BLM would start the planning process over and delay the redevelopment even further.

Reclamation staff have been working for years to implement a visitor services plan, which would provide recreational opportunities similar to what the lake had historically.

If BLM wanted to drastically alter that plan, Lee urged the supervisors to be cautious. He said Reclamation should be given another opportunity to correct its past mistakes.

“It could be a different picture than what we’re envisioning,” Lee said. “If it’s going to take longer than BOR’s plan we have to be very cautious. I don’t see a need to vote for this today.”

Lake Berryessa resident Stu Williams responded by saying that he’s been in discussions with BLM staff, who assured him they weren’t planning any drastic changes to what’s currently envisioned for the lake’s recreation. He said it’s time to move on from Reclamation.

“It’s a great concern to all of us up there that we see something happen,” Williams said. “In 14 years they’ve done nothing but go backwards.”

BLM spokesman Jeff Fontana said his agency hasn’t taken a position on Thompson’s bill, and is only giving information at this point.

“Our role is to provide information to the congressman upon request,” Fontana said. “Any position would come down the road.”

Supervisor Mark Luce said he also saw a need for change at the lake.

“It does feel like we’ve been riding a mule in the Kentucky Derby,” Luce said. “It might be time to change horses.”