Berryessa News.

In the register today.

Recreational opportunities at Lake Berryessa this summer are likely to be scaled down, with day-use, boat launching and camping offered at four sites along the lake’s western shore, as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and a local panel of residents look to establish more long-term solutions for the lake’s resort sites.

Two resorts on the southeast side of the lake, Pleasure Cove and Markley Cove, will offer overnight stays in cabins and vacation rentals, as well as marinas. Reclamation is in discussions with the contractors in charge of those resorts to get them to take over more sites at Lake Berryessa this summer, Deputy Area Manager Drew Lessard said Wednesday.

Failing that, Lessard said Reclamation would put out a quick request for proposal to line up interim contractors.

Lessard said Reclamation, like all federal agencies, is preparing to enact budget cuts tied to sequestration in Congress, but doesn’t believe the cutbacks will spoil its plans for this summer.

The cuts will have a long-term effect if sequestration is fully implemented, but Lessard said Reclamation is still determining how to take account for that in its budgets.

“We intend to have adequate funding,” Lessard said of summer recreation at the lake. “I don’t think we have a concern right now. What I’ve been told from above me is that (Berryessa) is important and a priority.”

The new plans follow Reclamation’s decision last year to oust the Pensus Group, its old contractor for six of the seven resorts at the lake.  The federal agency has been holding a series of public meetings at the lake to get input on what kinds of development and services Reclamation should look for in finding a new long-term contractor or contractors.

The bureau also created a new committee of residents and public officials from Reclamation and local and state governments that will assist in this process, Park Manager Jeff Laird said.

Laird said that’s been beneficial is smoothing over the frayed tensions between Lake Berryessa residents and Reclamation, and helped bring a shared focus on how to plan for the future.

“I’ve been at Lake Berryessa for about a year now,” Laird said. “In that time I’ve seen the public support grow, I think, significantly. Reclamation and the public both need to communicate.”

Reclamation is planning to get short-term contractors signed up for this summer and the next year to offer camping and day-use at Putah Creek, Steele Park, and Spanish Flat resorts, as well as the Oak Shores site, which is currently for day-use but has offered camping in the past.

Reclamation wants to offer boat launching at Putah Creek and Steele Park, although it’s still negotiating to do so with Steele Park’s former contractor. The agency had plans to tear out the boat ramp and roads at Steele Park, but Lessard said it needs to strike a deal to prevent that.

Laird said he’s noticed that many people from Davis and Winters go to Pleasure Cove and Markley Cove, while Fairfield, Vacaville, and Napa County residents tend to go to the west sides of the lake. He said the camping sites hope to draw longer stays from tourists, which would offer more of a boost to the local economy than people who only come for a day.

Laird acknowledged that getting tourists to return to the lake as they once did will require more investment in developing facilities and services.

“People both in Napa County and in other places have been disillusioned,” Laird said. “Things have changed so dramatically.”

Lessard said that drawing people this year will require moving quickly.

“I think we need to get interims in place,” Lessard said. “We want to move as quickly as possible. We’re excited about all of this. It’s now kind of within our control to move forward and develop this.”

 
Hopefully we can get some camping opportunities this summer but it is not looking super optimistic.
 

Thanks for the update.

And hella nice to see they are returning to pre Pensus names! 

Thanks for the update Pore, I have been on the phone with those guys for the last 2 months trying to get BSS3 worked out.  A lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out what the hell was going to happen.

The guys working there at Reclamation's Berryessa office are very nice and are pretty hamstrung by the budgets and contractual BS they had with Pensus...still bummed that the only way BSS3 was going to happen was at Pleasure Cove.  Hopefully we will be able to find a few salmon and the extra cost doesn't keep too many folks away.

Jim

Thanks for the update...

  Strange going ons at "The Berry"...

The whole mess has been tough for everyone. Folks trying to make a living off the lake really feel stuck and those of us who want to support the area and use the lake for recreation sadly end up going elsewhere as so many other lakes  have great camping accommodations albeit not  the same quality of fishing.

Nothing against the reclamation folks I just think with so much up in the air it will be hard to find people to run the sites this summer. Hopefully one or two will open and we will have contracts in place by next year. I always want to go camp up there but end up elseware due to cost and ease of accommodations. Its only a hour from my house so I would like to visit more often. Fingers crossed.