It certainly was no way to celebrate the five-year anniversary of opening day, but there was the Metropolitan Water District yesterday announcing it was indefinitely suspending private boat launches at Diamond Valley Lake, Southern California's biggest reservoir situated near Hemet.
Low water supply due to the statewide drought is the reason, they say, so as of dusk on Oct. 13, the lake's 560-foot ramp will be closed to private launches. MWD's board of directors will discuss possible options for extending the ramp when it meets Oct. 14 for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting. But with Metropolitan getting as little as 10 percent of its allotment of water from Northern California next year and 450,000 acre-feet (or an estimated 40 percent) less from the Colorado River, the prospect of lake water covering the ramp in the near future isn't good.
“We lose San Vicente, and now we lose Diamond Valley,” said Ramona angler and legendary big-bass fisherman Mike Long, the lake record holder for bass (16.43 pounds) who was fishing there Thursday. “This is really going to hurt.”
Mark Franco, a guide who has fished Diamond Valley more than anyone since it opened on Oct. 3, 2003, was crushed by the news.
“My wife doesn't even know about it yet,” Franco said. “I haven't had the heart to tell her. This just breaks my heart. It's unbelievable because last year, just before the fires, that lake was brimming with water.”
It was, but MWD officials report that since January, when the lake held nearly 597,000 acre-feet, Metropolitan has withdrawn 107,000 acre-feet to meet the agency's needs. That dropped the lake water level an amazing 24 feet.
DVL currently holds about 490,000 acre-feet, and there are plans calling for MWD to draw down to about 400,000 acre-feet by year's end. That's 90,000 more acre-feet to customers, so the lake will drop much more before bottoming out. An acre foot of water is nearly 320,000 gallons, enough water to supply five to seven people in a year.
“Diamond Valley lake's exposed shoreline and dry boat ramp serves as a reminder to Southland customers the importance of saving water during this drought,” said Metropolitan general manager Jeff Kightlinger in a statement. “We understand the public recreation impacts this action will have at the lake, recognized as one of the premier fishing spots in Southern California. While we remain proud of Diamond Valley and the recreation it provides, the reservoir's primary purpose is to help maintain water supply reliability for Metropolitan, our 26 member public agencies and nearly 19 million Southern Californians.”
Franco and others will be able to fish from rental boats, but that could end if the water gets so low that it becomes, as the MWD release states, “impractical or unsafe to operate and maintain the rental fleet.”
Franco, who guides from his fully-rigged pontoon boat, said he plans to rent a lake pontoon boat, but the cost of the rental will push up the cost of a guide trip.
“Right now I'm charging $350 for full-day trips for up to four anglers, $250 for a half-day trip,” Franco said. “With the cost of the rental, I'll have to raise the fee to $400 a day, $300 for half day, but throw in an extra hour of fishing, five hours for half-day, 8 to 8½ hours for full-day trips.”
Rental boats aren't cheap at DVL. The Pontoon boats rent for $125 for half day, $160 for the day. The lake also has deluxe bass boats that rent for $95 for a half day, $120 for a full day. Regular fishing boats go for $55 half day, $70 full day. There also are fuel surcharges of $20 for half day, $30 for full day. Seniors (62 and older) get a break of 50 percent off all half-and full-day rentals on Wednesdays.
There was some good news for shoreline anglers and those who fish from a kayak or canoe. MWD announced it has opened an additional five miles of shoreline to fishing. That gives the lake a total of 6½ miles of fishable shoreline. And kayaks and canoes that meet the lake's guidelines will be permitted on the lake as long as the boarding docks are serviceable.
MWD will keep the Diamond Valley Lake View Trail open for hiking and biking, and the North Hills Trail remains open for hiking and horseback riding. Also, the community October Fish event sponsored by Urban Parks and Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District set for this weekend is still on.
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
