Lake Berryessa News
May 31, 2026
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Lake Berryessa Statistics 5/31/26
Lake Berryessa water level continues to drop slowly as the growing season advances into summer, down about 5.5 inches during the last seven days. It now stands at 437.48 feet -2.52 feet below Glory Hole.
Light rainfall of .21 inches a few days ago raised the total rainfall at Monticello Dam to 24.96 inches.
The lake output has risen to an average of 550 cfs (1,090 A-F per day). The highest output
during the summer averages about 700 cfs (1,387 A-F per day).
Lake capacity is now at 1,504,030 Acre-Feet or 97%.
Water temperatures are steady at a swimmable level of 72 degrees. Water temperatures should rise significantly due to the hot temperatures predicted for the next few days.
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Some Good News for Berryessa Highlands Property Owners!
The Napa County Board of Supervisors is considering forgiving the $5 million it has loaned to the Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District (NBRID) to fund water and sewer operations during the last four years. The request letter from the NBRID is shown below. Following that is the actual resolution presented to the Supervisors for their meeting on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
Request for Loan forgiveness in the amount of $5,000,000 Pursuant to Government Code 24214.4
Dear Members of the Board of Supervisors:
The Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District (“District”) is a special district of the State of California organized under the Resort Improvement District Law (Public Resources Code Section 13000 et seq.) for the provision of water and sewer service in an unincorporated portion of the County of Napa (“County”), which includes Unit 1 and 2 of the Berryessa Highlands and the Oakridge Estates.
Beginning in 1995, the District’s infrastructure suffered significant deterioration due to many components reaching the end of its useful life. In response, staff initiated small-scale rehabilitation projects whenever permissible within the confines of available funding. However, many necessary repairs were beyond the District’s budgetary capacity and critical facility deficiencies resulted in enforcement action by the Regional Water Quality Control Board (“Regional Board”), including a sewer connection moratorium.
The decline of the facilities, mandates imposed by the Regional Board, and the 2020 LNU Lightning Complex Fire that destroyed over 100 homes in the community, prompted a series of requests for loans from Napa County for various repair and improvement projects between 2008 and 2025. The District currently has four active loans from the County totaling $5,000,000 - Loan No. 6 for $1,000,000 is an original loan from 2022, Loan No. 7 for $1,625,000 is a consolidation of Loan No. 2 ($625,000) from 2011 and 2012 and No. 4 ($1,000,000) from 2021, Loan No. 8 for $1,160,366 is an original loan from 2024, and Loan No 9 in 2025 for $1,214,634, which was a consolidation of No. 1 ($869,000) from 2008 and 2009 and Loan No. 5 ($345,634 ) from 2022.
District property owners previously approved an assessment for capital improvements in 2012 which will be paid with annual property tax installments through 2052. Additionally, District residents agreed to a rate increase (~12%) effective December 1, 2021, and while the additional revenue received as part of this rate increase did help the District’s financial situation, it was not sufficient to cover prior expected and future anticipated annual deficits that increased after the wildfire. Additionally, due to the consistent annual operations budget deficits, the District has not been able to build budgetary reserves to satisfy principal repayment of any of the loans or interest incurred by the outstanding debt, let alone for capital improvement projects.
The District was certified as an economically disadvantaged community (DAC) in April 2024 and at that time District residents paid up to 6% of their annual income on water and sewer related charges – well above the 3% benchmark for EPA’s estimated affordable rates. As a DAC the District is eligible for grant and or principal forgiveness loans from Federal and State funding programs, however in order to meet funding requirements, the funding programs require a balanced operations budget and zero unsecured debt.
To balance the budget, registered voters in the District with water and sewer laterals stubbed to the property approved a special tax ballot measure – Measure A – in January 2026. The proceeds from the 10-year special tax of $1,560 per parcel annually are projected to balance the operations budget as required by most funding programs and provide sufficient fund balance to undertake necessary small projects as they arise while District staff proceeds with planning for large-scale capital improvements. With the newly passed special tax, District residents will now pay up to 9% of their annual income towards the water and sewer system – again much larger than the affordability criteria published by the EPA.
The District cannot qualify for the grant funds that would remedy the District’s infrastructure problems as long as its budget reflects the unsecured County loans. As Measure A was intended as a limited term special tax to balance the District’s budget and build a small reserve, the only way to repay the County loans would be to request an additional increase to water and sewer rates, which would exacerbate an already severe economic hardship to District residents.
Government Code section 25214.4 authorizes the Board of Supervisors to waive repayment of these loans if it finds that repayment would result in an economic or fiscal hardship to the property owners or residents in the District. The District respectfully requests the Board of Supervisors find that repayment of the loans would create an economic hardship to the District customers and waive repayment of the loans in the amount of $5,000,000 plus accrued interest.
We appreciate the Board of Supervisor’s willingness to help the District work through these difficult
problems it is currently facing.
Very truly yours,
Amber Manfree, Chair of the Governing Board Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District
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The Real Hunter: Vegetarian is an old Bavarian word for “terrible aim”.
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T-Shirt Humor
Getting older provides opportunities to celebrate new anniversaries reaching back decades from the original events. Since I'm turning 82 (and ever more philosophical) next month, I got hooked on funny t-shirts for some reason. You can find dozens online. My favorite so far is the "Cranky" one. The "Admit It" one comes in second.
There are several scientific t-shirts and brain teasers.
See if you can decipher a couple.
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Political satire abounds. Here's one based on recent events.
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A Message from Napafirewise
Dear Napa County Residents,
Wildfire Preparedness Month is wrapping up — but as we close out May, we want to be clear: this month is just an opportunity for extra attention to the efforts we all need to sustain, both individually and as a community, to become a truly resilient and fire-adapted county. Wildfire preparedness is a year-round effort, and one that deserves at least as much regular attention as your car's oil change. You wouldn't wait until the engine seizes to take action…
“Napa County is more prepared today than we were in 2017 and 2020.” We hear this often from the fire agencies that we partner with every day. And it's true. We have stewarded an impressive number of acres, helping our forests become more resilient and healthier and last year's Pickett Fire showed us what organized preparation changes.
Napa Firewise recognizes that we still have thousands of acres of proposed work still waiting for funding in addition to sustained stewardship of projects implemented. A $37.5 million federal grant was cut in 2025. And while we continue to apply and re-apply for public funds, they are growing more competitive and less available. So when we ask, "how prepared are we, really?" — the honest answer is this: more than before, and not yet enough.
Where We Stand In 2026:
Working alongside Napa County Fire, CAL FIRE, and Napa’s Fire Safe Councils, Napa
Firewise has scoped 523 projects across the valley — a comprehensive, prioritized roadmap built into the countywide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The CWPP project pool also includes projects scoped by Napa Land Trust, Open Space District, and Napa Resource Conservation District.
While the county’s CWPP strategically stewards lands across Napa County, the projects
shown on our websites are examples of that strategy in action organized by each city in Napa County — each one identified by critical need, each one protecting the people, infrastructure, and local economy. The 207 unfunded projects are not wish-list items, they are scoped, reviewed, and ready to move when funding is available.
https://napafirewise.org/
https://napafirewise.org/fire-safe-councils/
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Here's some less known t-shirt history. I researched every one.
They are all true with an interesting story behind each.
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Local realtor and long-time Lake Berryessa News advertiser, Amber Payne, made the
cover of Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine. Corcoran Icon looks like a fun group.
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Track the real-time Lake Berryessa weather at:
Skiers Cove (Below the Berryessa Highlands)
Skier Cove - KCANAPA228
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA228
East Side Road (Across from Big Island)
East Side Road, Lake Berryessa - KCALAKEB2
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCALAKEB2
Spanish Flat (Near the Spanish Flat Recreation Area)
Roger - KCASPANI1
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCASPANI1
Berryessa Pines
KCANAPA461
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA461
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Lake Berryessa Fire Watch Cameras
This site covers the whole Lake Berryessa Region.
http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
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Free Book Chapters Available For Download
My sincere thanks to those of you who contributed to the future of the Lake Berryessa News. I challenge you to find any Lake Berryessa news anywhere. Hopefully, the many years of our intensive reporting about the latest Lake Berryessa issues will convince you of the truth of our motto, "Without The Lake Berryessa News there would be no Lake Berryessa news".
Here's a gift from The Lake Berryessa News to my readers - Free downloadable chapters from my books:
The Death of a Valley
Why Does Lake Berryessa Exist?
The Lake Berryessa Watershed
Rainfall and Lake Level History
How High Is Lake Berryessa?
How Deep is Lake Berryessa?
How Much Water Does Lake Berryessa Hold?
Mean Sea Level: Is There Such A Thing As Accurate Height?
Water In, Water Out, But From Where?
Does the WALROS Like Lake Berryessa?
Why is Lake Berryessa Not a Part of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument?
East Side Story
Hiking and Wildlife Viewing
Are There Quail on Quail Ridge?
Why Does A Hiker Cross The Road? To Get To Stebbins Cold Canyon!
Private Houseboats - Yes; Private RVs & Trailers - No: Why?
Motorized Boats Banned From Big Island Lagoon! Why!
Archeologists Can't Dunk But Can Dig
What Can't You Do At Lake Berryessa?
Napa Opposes Building the Monticello Dam
Monticello Dam Construction
Raise Monticello Dam
Power Generation at Monticello Dam
Monticello Dam Failure Analysis
Predicting the Future & Glory Hole Drone Videos
As Lake Berryessa Turns!
The Ins and Outs & Ups and Downs of Lake Berryessa
Does Lake Berryessa Sweat in the Summer?
Glory Hole Introduction
How Does Glory Hole Work?
Glory Hole: Awesome, Frightening, But Dangerous?
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Lake Berryessa Political History (Free Downloads of Book Chapters)
Policy And Politics Betray The People: The Lake Berryessa Saga: 1958 - 2020, By Peter Kilkus
I. The Five Tragedies Of The Berryessa Valley: A History Of Heartbreak
II. Lake Berryessa Political History Timeline
III. The “Big Lie”: How It All Began
IV. The “Big Fail”: Napa Abandons Lake Berryessa (1975)
V. The “Big Picture”: Lake Berryessa Issues: 1957 - 2012
VI. The “Big Illusion”: Notice Of Intent
VII. The “Big Fight”: Facts Do Matter
VIII. The “Big Betrayal”: Perversion Of Public Law 96-375
IX. The “Big Mistake”: Pensus - The Beginning Was The End!
X. The “Big Hole In History”: Post-Pensus Blues
XI. The “Big Boondoggle”: Creation Of A Phony National Monument
Addendum 1. Dueling Napa Register Letters To The Editor
Addendum 2. The Napa Register View
Index Of Primary Documents
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Lake Berryessa Technical Manual: The Science, Engineering, History, and Humor of a Major Unnatural Resource
https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Berryessa-Technical-Manual-Engineering-ebook/dp/B0C21DZ9M9/ref=sr_1_3?
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Policy and Politics Betray the People: The Lake Berryessa Saga: 1958 - 2020
https://www.amazon.com/Policy-Politics-Betray-People-Berryessa-ebook/dp/B08MFSQDBR/ref=sr_1_1?
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Conspiracy Theory or Automatic Pilot: The Economic Roots of Environmental Destruction
https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Theory-Automatic-Pilot-Environmental/dp/1676368302/ref=sr_1_3?
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The KPIX Eye on the Bay interview below is one I did in 2010 and a relevant introduction to the substance of the book. I did it after Pensus had been given the contract for 5 resorts. As we all know Pensus was subsequently kicked out in 2012.
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Lake Berryessa Data Sources
There are many sources of Lake Berryessa water and weather conditions available. The Solano County Water Agency site is good for real-time graphs of level, capacity, and water temperature. The California Data Exchange Center has data going back decades for level, capacity, capacity change, dam outflow, dam inflow, and rainfall. Anyone can research their own data and create custom charts. This is the source of many of the charts on the Lake Berryessa News website.
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An upgraded wildfire alert camera system will be keeping watch on Napa County day and night and notifying Cal Fire crews of potential fires. Twenty cameras will be part of a system that will use artificial intelligence and other technologies to identify fire and smoke. If they detect something, an alert will sound in the Cal Fire emergency command center near St. Helena.
Cal Fire has made a large investment into the ALERTCalifornia system, partnering with UC San Diego. There are 1,000 cameras across the state and Napa County is one of the test models. Cameras can see 60 miles during the day, and this can increase to 120 miles on clear nights, with the changes in the air. The system can differentiate among smoke, clouds and dust. A link to this camera system and other relevant weather data is available on the Lake Berryessa News website at: http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
This website was created by Doug Kunst. It is an amazing resource for Lake Berryessa fire cameras and weather. His business website is http://www.rntl.net/
Lake Berryessa Fire Alert Cameras
http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
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Real-Time Lake Level, Lake Capacity, Water Temperature
Solano County Water Agency
https://www.scwamonitoring.com/LakeBerryessa/
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Lake Detailed Historical Data
California Data Exchange Center
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/
Research historical data and create custom plots
Lake Berryessa Code: BER
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/sensorplots?staid=ber&dur_code=D
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Local Weather Stations (Weather Underground Network)
Skiers Cove (Below the Berryessa Highlands)
Skier Cove - KCANAPA228
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA228
East Side Road (Across from Big Island)
East Side Road, Lake Berryessa - KCALAKEB2
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCALAKEB2
Spanish Flat (Near the Spanish Flat Recreation Area)
Roger - KCASPANI1
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCASPANI1