Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 12, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People -
Editorial: Water district should scuttle boat ban plan
Lake Powell on the rise, expecting big boating summer
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Editorial: Water district should scuttle boat ban plan
The threat to ban boating at county reservoirs this summer sent kayakers, canoeists and power boaters into a tizzy last week - all because two government agencies failed to communicate.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District has a boating ban on its agenda for Tuesday to protect the water supply from invasive mussels that have hitched rides across the ocean on ship hulls. The mollusks latch onto hard surfaces and multiply quickly, clogging and damaging water pipes and other equipment, not to mention boats themselves. They also interfere with native species. A boat that's been in an already-infested lake could carry the critters to local reservoirs and endanger the water supply.
The threat is serious, but the total ban is unnecessary. The district board should reject it.
Recreational boats need to be checked to be sure they're mussel-free, and
The district owns the eight reservoirs where boating is allowed; the county manages the parks around them. The county's plan would close four reservoirs to boats but institute inspections, for a $7 charge, at the other four. That's a lot different from a total ban.
Both agencies agree that inspections are the way to go. Staff members have been talking for months about this program, but district officials apparently thought the county couldn't start inspections until August.
Unresolved at this point is who pays the $500,000 cost of running inspections for this year. The district says boats are a county recreation problem. The county says it's the district's water that the program is meant to protect.
Ideally they'd share the cost. But this year, at least, the water district should pick it up.
Few government agencies are flush with money just now, but as budget troubles go, the county's are extreme. Facing a $172 million deficit for the year starting in July, it's slashing health care and mental health - lifeline services to many families. While $500,000 is small compared with total spending by either agency, the county needs the money more.
Boat inspections have started at two dozen reservoirs around the state since Quagga mussels were discovered in
A late 1990s mussel infestation in the
But the ban on Tuesday's water board agenda isn't a result of the environmental threat. It's from bad communication.
Next time, pick up the phone.#
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_9231269?nclick_check=1
Lake Powell on the rise, expecting big boating summer
By Jayne Clark,
William Perez, 33, his wife, Gisell, 34, and their two sons, Casey, 6, and Matthew, 2, are about to motor off on a houseboat for four days of R&R on the emerald waters of this vast man-made lake. But as with most things in life, houseboating is not without rules and caveats. An instructor has Perez inspect the propellers for damage, confirm that the 170-gallon gas tanks are full, and check the propane levels and hot-water tank. There are insurance papers to sign. And warnings to heed — a single long beep and a flashing light from the control panel is a bad thing. Oh, and if they spot any mouse droppings, don't touch them. They could carry the hantavirus, a rare but nasty disease.
When the "not responsible for lost or stolen items" spiel is over, the wife and kids settle in and Perez takes the helm, declaring, "We're going to find a nice beach, and fish and enjoy."
The Perezes are early comers in what both national parks and commercial interests here believe will be a robust boating summer, following nine years of drought that drained the lake 100-plus feet below its high-water mark. Thanks to record winter snowfall in the Rockies, the waters of
Most significantly, the higher lake levels mean a popular route known as the Castle Rock Cut will reopen, lopping 12 miles off the journey from Wahweap Marina, Lake Powell's main put-in, to up-lake destinations such as Rainbow Bridge National Monument. At 290 feet tall (and broad enough to span the White House), the sandstone marvel is the world's largest natural bridge and an iconic giant in a land teeming with the gargantuan.
Deep and wide
Indeed, dimensions in this wide-open country boggle the mind.
But in recent years, news of diminishing lake levels (a white bathtub ring etched on the red canyon walls records where the water once reached) has contributed to a dip in visitation — from about 3 million annually in the late 1990s to about 2 million last year.
"Still, it's a deep lake," says Steve Carothers, general manager of
In fact, as levels diminished in recent years, some took a the-lake-is-half-full attitude, pointing to long-submerged attributes of
"Petroglyphs reappeared. You could walk into canyons instead of boating in," says Steve Ward, spokesman for Aramark, the national parks concessionaire that runs most of the commercial entities in the recreation area.
Edward Norris, 74, a veteran
For many, though, the creation of
Forty-five years after the dam's construction, protests against it persist among groups such as
"Most people don't see the part I see," says John Weisheit, the group's conservation director. As a river guide, he enters the lake from the north via the
Floating houses
The lake is named for Maj. John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran who in 1869 led a 1,000-mile expedition down the wild
Houseboats, ranging from 44 feet to 75 feet, are the current vehicle of choice. Top-of-the-line models (which rent for up to $14,000 a week) are tricked out with hot tubs, wet bars, 46-inch flat-screen TVs, gas fireplaces, granite countertops and queen-size beds.
Aramark has introduced an on-board catering program for customers who don't want to bother cooking, a concierge service to "take the fear out of houseboat rental," and a porter service to stock provisions on the boats.
At Wahweap Marina recently, Alan Fulton is one of a group of eight fifty- and sixtysomethings boarding a 59-foot, four-bedroom, two-bath Discovery model houseboat for a week on the lake. As the women stow pans of frozen lasagna, bottles of wine and other essentials, most of the men get briefed on the finer points of houseboat operation while
"My job is to drink beer and smile," says the
Yes, the boat has a television, and members of the party are packing cellphones, "but the TV will not be turned on, and if a cellphone rings, it's going overboard," he declares.
With gas costing $4.82 a gallon here,
Out on
"It's just so peaceful, so relaxing," says Perez, who works for the Spanish-language media company
"Disney's for kids," Casey interjects. "This is nature. And it's beautiful." #
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-05-08-lake-powell_N.htm
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