Berryessa: Put it back in public hands

In the coming weeks the federal Bureau of Reclamation is expected to issue its final record of decision regarding the future of the Lake Berryessa shore. While the battle over Berryessa has been hard-fought, the Bureau should go through with its "preferred alternative" and remove the seven trailer resorts from the lakeshore at the end of their leases. This will open up the lovely recreational lake to new, more modern and more accessible public uses, benefiting not just Napa County but millions of outdoors enthusiasts in Northern California.

While Lake Berryessa is in Napa County, it is not strictly ours. The lake and the land that surrounds it is owned by the federal government. Its water goes to Solano County homes and businesses. Plus, Berryessa is one of the largest recreational lakes within driving distance of the San Francisco Bay Area, and boaters for miles around head up winding roads to the lake to water ski, fish and drift among the coves.

For decades, the federal government has awarded concessions for privately-run trailer resorts at the lake. Users are allowed to place trailers at the resorts and live in them several months of the year, and many Berryessa lovers and their families have been visiting for decades.

Some of the resorts are run with efficiency. Some have a history of environmental problems, and at least one has faced financial turmoil that has prompted the Bureau of Reclamation to intervene in its affairs.

Those are serious problems, but they are not the primary reasons the resorts should go. The trailers, as many as 1,300, should be removed because they limit -- rather than enhance -- public use of this taxpayer resource.

Concessionaires and trailer owners have put up a furious fight to maintain the status quo. Among the claims they raise is that the Bureau's plans for the lake are not sustainable, that environmental extremists are seeking to rid the lake of personal watercraft and motorized craft, that the concessionaires or trailer owners have a continuing right to use the lake the way they do now.

These views represent a mixture of legitimate policy questions, misleading attacks on their foes and outright misstatements.

It is true the Bureau's proposed economic model is not proven. But the economics of the Berryessa are not healthy today.

It is not true that the Bureau plans to bar watercraft or motor boats from the lake, though local environmental groups would like to set aside some parts of the lake and the shore for "passive uses" -- i.e. kayaking, canoeing and hiking.

Finally, and most importantly, as a property rights matter, the trailer owners and concessionaires are in the wrong. The lake and the lakeshore is owned by the federal government, which is to say all of us. For years, trailer owners have had the benefit of more or less private use of public land.

The political history of Lake Berryessa is riddled with missed opportunities. With the end of the concession contracts, the Bureau of Reclamation, Napa County and those who want to take advantage of Lake Berryessa's beauty have a chance for a fresh start at a gorgeous freshwater lake.

When the concession contracts come up in 2008 and 2009, it is time for the Bureau of Reclamation to return the lakeshore to its rightful owners: the public.

Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2009