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Lopez Lake getting low again

May 31, 2016
Lopez lake

Lopez lake

Despite the recent El Nino rains, park rangers are preparing to kick boaters out of Lopez Lake. The boat ramp at the lake will close in about four weeks. [KSBY]

Lopez Lake is currently at 28.8 percent capacity, according to San Luis Obispo County water data. The Lake was at about 37 percent capacity one year ago.

By the end of 2015, Lopez lake fell to 28 percent capacity. Water levels rose during the recent rainy season, but not my much. In March, Lopez Lake was just below 30 percent capacity.

Park rangers say the water level is currently at an historic low. About 80 feet of shoreline is now exposed, and some areas have dried out completely.

Ranger Glenn Simpson said it is doubtful the boat ramp will be open during the busy July 4 weekend.

When the boat ramp closes, canoeing, kayaking and fishing will still be permitted in the lake.


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Does Pismo Beach have sufficient water to support the 400+ new hotel rooms that are currently being built without going back to the residents for additional water use reduction requirements?


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“Does Pismo Beach have sufficient water to support the 400+ new hotel rooms that are currently being built without going back to the residents for additional water use reduction requirements?”


No.


The mantra of Pismo Beach officials and elected council members has always been “If we get tax revenue, approve it, any problems that are caused we will just put on the backs of Pismo residents”


Pismo residents have had to severely curtail water use and can only water yards 2 days a week, yet 400 hotel rooms replete with showers, toilets, spas, and pools are coming online.


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MILLIONS of gallons of water fell and/or flowed through SLO County and into the Pacific Ocean. We need to capture and contain more of it. Build more reservoirs.


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El Nino my butt! Weren’t the same people telling us we were going to have 300 year floods this year and that it was going to be the Godzilla of all El Nino’s, also the ones telling us humans are causing climate change. They are FOS on both counts.


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Very scary. There was the talk about if El Niño didn’t produce. Well, it didn’t. The time has come to take drastic measures.

People will get through it. The question is, at what cost?


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There is plenty of water in Northern CA reservoirs like Lake Shasta, the state and federal governments just have to decide to allocate the water where it is needed.


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The state has, to SF and LA, that’s where the voters are that keep them in office, no one else needs water.


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Screw that, build a damn pipeline to the Midwest, Northwest, hell, all the way to the East Coast! I mean, if we can build a massive pipeline for oil, how much more difficult would it be for water? Sure, if de-salination pencils out to be cheaper, go that route, but I do not want to hear another ignoramus tell me we have a water crisis when we’re on a planet with more water than land.


On a side note, I find it curious there was not so much as a collective shrug when the El Niño models did not pan out… and yet we still have faith in all this “climate change” alarmism, and the fallacy of man-made climate change on such a large, threatening scale. This is what happens when we fire or shut down all dissent on “science.”


How are Al Gore’s predictions working out? That “hockey stick” and other garbage, made-up science he forced down the throats of people who no longer think.


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We could easily build hydroelectric plants in Canada and Alaska to solve the West’s water and electricity needs.


We need more hydro.


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Heck, Texas has all the water we could ever use. Let’s bottle it up and ship it here! :)


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No worries. The Diablo desal project will augment Lopez Lake with 1196 acre-feet of water, or 390,000,000 gallons, which is equivilent to 2.4% of it’s full capacity. Soon, only the rich will be able to afford this precious commodity.


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“park rangers are preparing to kick boaters out of Lopez Lake.”


Park rangers are doing no such thing. There isn’t enough water and too much silt for boats to be launched from the ramp. How is that in the control of rangers?


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Park rangers control what vehicles enter through the main gate.

If the ramp is closed – no boats are allowed in.


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By all means cities, especially Arroyo Grande, continue to issue building permits, no reason to issue a building moratorium since you can penalize current residents for going over their allotment.


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Trump says there is no drought, so no need to worry. Come January if he is elected he will fill Lopez up to a record high.


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Trump’s point was that the government does not release water where it is needed.


Way to let that one fly over your head.


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Lakes in northern CA received abundant rainfall this year. If that water were released to the Central Valley, farmers there would not be experiencing drought conditions. Instead, water is being diverted to the ocean to protect the habitat of the Delta Smelt, the 3″ fish Trump was referencing.


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…but what about the little fishes?


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Yeah, he will fill it with the B.S. that comes out of his mouth, not water.


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I am not a fan of Trump, as a person, but I find it offensive and depressing to see comments like yours, completely missing the point of what someone was speaking about, only to degrade and belittle the person.


What a sad state for one to be so attached to politics that it becomes personal.


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The rangers aren’t kicking anyone out of anything. Due to the lake level, you can either launch or you can’t .


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You are right of course, but if you do a lot of camping in California like my family does you will soon realize that the rangers really don’t want you there. I’m always amazed at how many California state park rangers we have come across seem to hate the public that they are paid to serve.

No other state we camp in gives us that feeling. I don’t get it but sadly that has been our experience.


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CA State Parks also has the bizarre regulation of not allowing dogs anywhere but campsites and paved roads. Who wants to keep their dog on a paved road? Even some national parks have trails for dogs.


Meanwhile, there is agitation for less nature, more soccer fields at CA State Parks to attract a certain demographic.


http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-state-parks-20150218-story.html


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