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Along with the rest of California's lakes and reservoirs, Lake Jennings is currently closed to fishing. Photo: Lake Jennings

Reservoirs, Lakes Remain Closed to Fishing Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

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Although San Diego County’s lakes and reservoirs remain closed to fishing and other recreational activities for safety reasons due to the coronavirus pandemic, staff and volunteers continue to work. Crews are maintaining facilities, providing security, and sharing photos of wildlife and native blooms enjoying the arrival of spring.

Popular overnight campsites remain open at Santee Lakes, operated by the Padre Dam Municipal Water District. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Popular overnight campsites remain open at Santee Lakes, operated by the Padre Dam Municipal Water District. Photo: Padre Dam Municipal Water District

Popular overnight campsites remain open at Santee Lakes, owned and operated by the Padre Dam Municipal Water District.

“Camper well-being is important to us and Santee Lakes didn’t want to displace people,” said Melissa McChesney, Padre Dam communications manager. She said that includes long-term campers who spent winter at the lake.

“It is important to note that Santee Lakes is not promoting recreation at this time, and the day use section of the park is closed,” said McChesney. “The park is able to provide a safe alternative to any RVers currently on the road in California because we have full electric, water, sewer and WiFi at each site. Santee Lakes is currently only taking reservations for self-contained RVs.”

Campers can reserve space for a maximum of six months. McChesney said campers should still shelter in place and practice physical distancing at the 300 campsites and 10 cabins.

At Santee Lakes, campers can also enjoy spring birdwatching. Two hundred and thirty different bird species have been spotted at the lake.

Nature takes flight at Lake Jennings

Two of the three resident bald eagles at Lake Jennings. Photo: Lake Jennings

At Lake Jennings, Recreation Manager Kira Haley says eight volunteers continue to live and work from their campground homes in recreational vehicles and campers. She said their days remain “pretty typical” even though they see more wildlife and not people.

“Our volunteers handle emerging maintenance, take calls from the public, and provide security,” said Haley. “They’re happy to be there, not having interaction with people during this time.”

Although new camping reservations are closed, Haley said campers currently at the Lake Jennings campgrounds were allowed to finish their stay. She said only one person, from out of state, will be the only camper at the entire park through the end of April.

A wood duck and her ducklings swimming across Santee Lakes. Photo: Santee Lakes/Facebook

Haley and her volunteers are sharing photos of the active wildlife and plant growth on social media. Currently, there are three bald eagles at the lake.

On the Lake Jennings Facebook page, Haley noted with a photo of a bald eagle in flight, “Lake Jennings Social Distancing: Always keep an eagle’s wingspan between you and others.” According to National Geographic, a bald eagle’s typical wingspan measures from six to eight feet – the recommended social distancing minimum.

According to National Geographic, a bald eagle’s typical wingspan measures from six to eight feet – the recommended social distancing minimum. Photo: Lake Jennings/Facebook

City of San Diego lakes and reservoirs closed until further notice

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Paddleboarders will have to wait to get on Lake Hodges. The City of San Diego has closed all reservoirs due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: City of San Diego

The City of San Diego’s reservoirs and lakes are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The city closed the reservoirs to the public on March 18 to protect the public and minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The nine water supply storage reservoirs are operated by the City’s Public Utilities Department.

Opinion: What Gov. Gavin Newsom Needs to Do to Protect State’s Water Future

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby George Miller

Today, responding to a global pandemic is every governor’s top priority. When we emerge from this crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom will face a challenge to ensure California’s future economic and environmental health. In this context, his water policies will represent critical decisions. Along with public health, jobs, energy, transportation, education, housing and fire protection, water is a compulsory gubernatorial priority.

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Opinion: Collaboration is the Answer to California’s Fishery and Water Supply Challenges

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Roger Cornwell

California has the opportunity to enter a new era in water management. Unprecedented efforts by leaders at the state and national level have led to the kind of cooperation that will provide valuable benefits to water users and the environment.

I know because that’s what we’ve been doing in the Sacramento Valley for many years. The kinds of success we’ve achieved can be replicated in other parts of the state. By working together, we can accomplish much more than can ever be achieved when competing interests are fighting.

California’s current water regulatory system is completely broken. Farms, towns and cities suffer continued cutbacks and threatened fish species continue to dwindle. The only recourse currently available seems to be an ongoing parade of lawsuits that further paralyze the system and help no one.

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New State Water Regulations Cause Angst on All Sides

/in , /by /Bakersfield.comby Lois Henry

A new set of water regulations aimed at protecting California’s native fish came down from the state earlier this week to near universal condemnation from both agricultural and environmental water folks.

The regulations are contained in a 143-page “incidental take permit” issued by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife that lays out when — and how much — water can be pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by the State Water Project.

Agricultural contractors who get water from the project fear they could lose up to 300,000 acre-feet a year under the new permit.

Environmentalists say the permit gives a “free pass” to pumpers and is a path to extinction for native fish.
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Sutherland Reservoir reopens for recreation in 2020 on Friday, March 6. Photo: City of San Diego

Sutherland Reservoir Opens For Recreation

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The City of San Diego’s Sutherland Reservoir is now open to the public three days a week. The reservoir will be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from sunrise to sunset, allowing access for boating, fishing, hiking and picnicking.

It will also open on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day and is closed the third Friday of each month.

The reservoir is about 45 miles northeast of San Diego at 22018 Sutherland Dam Road in Ramona.

People can hear an updated recorded message detailing current activities, schedules, fishing and hunting results at Sutherland Reservoir and other City of San Diego lakes by calling 619-465-FISH (619-465-3474).

Family activities include picnicking, fishing, and boating

Recreational activities at Sutherland Reservoir including boating, fishing, and picnicking. Photo: City of San Diego

Recreational activities at Sutherland Reservoir including boating, fishing, and picnicking. Photo: City of San Diego

Viviana Castellon, the City of San Diego’s reservoir maintenance supervisor,  said her team opened a little early this morning.

“The environment is beautiful, flora and fauna are raging,” said Castellon. “It’s a healthy environment biologically. It’s a backcountry reservoir, very inviting and relaxing. Depending on what you want to do, we have ADA accessibility. We expect people to have a great time at Sutherland,” said Castellon.

A bonus for spring visitors, Sutherland Reservoir is the midst of raptor mating season.

“Eagles are soaring, and we have peregrine falcons,” she said. “If people bring their binoculars, they’ll hear and see quite a bit.”

The recreation area features barbecues, picnic tables, and restrooms. Self-contained gas barbecues are allowed in the picnic area.

Water activities at Sutherland Reservoir include boating, canoeing, kayaking, sailboarding, and float tubing. Those activities are only allowed on Saturdays and Sundays. Leashed dogs are allowed. Turkey hunting at the reservoir is by reservation only, starting this year on March 30.

One of the most popular activities at Lake Sutherland is fishing. The lake contains largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, sunfish, and carp. Bowfishing is permitted for carp only, in compliance with California Department of Fish and Wildfire regulations. Special conditions apply and are listed on the City of San Diego’s website.

Swimming, ground fires, glass containers, and camping are not permitted. Take precautions to avoid rattlesnakes and poison oak, both of which are present at Sutherland Reservoir.

Maile Guerrero of La Mesa was honored for her photo of Sutherland Reservoir in the Water Authority's "Brought to You By Water' photo contest in 2018.

Maile Guerrero of La Mesa was honored for her photo of Sutherland Reservoir in the San Diego County Water Authority’s 2018 “Brought to You By Water” photo contest.

Construction on Sutherland Dam began in 1927, but it was not completed until 1954. The reservoir is operated and maintained by the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department and is part of the city’s drinking water system.

For additional information about Sutherland Reservoir, including boating, fishing, and hunting rules, required permits, as well as details about the City’s other reservoirs, go to sandiego.gov/reservoirs-lakes.

Opinion: Trump Wading into California’s Water Policy With Phony Answer

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Chronicle Editorial Board

President Trump believes he “got it done” in fixing California’s troubled and contentious water system. What he actually produced is another wrecking-ball delay and a lawsuit to try to halt his lopsided solution.

The president found a dirt-dry corner of the Central Valley to sign documents that bless more pumping of Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta water southward to farms and water agencies. His blessing at a campaign-style gathering in Bakersfield won’t immediately rev up water shipments, but it should underline how divisive and intractable he’s making a long-standing problem.

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California Sues Trump Administration to Block Water Rules

/in , , /by /The Associated Pressby Adam Beam

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block new rules that would let farmers take more water from the state’s largest river systems, arguing it would push endangered populations of delta smelt, chinook salmon and steelhead trout to extinction.

The federal rules govern how much water can be pumped out of the watersheds of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, which flow from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the San Francisco Bay and provide the state with much of its water for a bustling agriculture industry that supplies two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts and more than a third of its vegetables.

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California Sues Trump Administration Again — This Time Over Water

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

A day after President Trump visited the Central Valley to celebrate a boost in water for California farms, state officials sued to block the additional water deliveries.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra, in a lawsuit filed Thursday, maintains that new federal rules designed to increase pumping from the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta fail to protect salmon and other endangered fish in the delta estuary.

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Trump Brings More Water — and Himself — to Central Valley Farmers

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Peter Fimrite

BAKERSFIELD — President Trump swooped into California farm country Wednesday and, with a flourish, signed off on a plan that would take water away from fish and ship more to farmers in the Central Valley.

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Fact Check: Trump says California is Rationing Water. Here’s What’s Really Going On

/in , /by /Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler

President Donald Trump had a lot to say about his efforts to fight off water rationing in California Wednesday before a cheering crowd of farmers in Bakersfield tired of seeing their water deliveries reduced to protect endangered fish.

But Trump’s claims — about how much of California’s water flows to the Pacific Ocean, and claims the state had set limits on daily water — left out key nuances that make his statements misleading.

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