Lake Berryessa News
Lake Berryessa Statistics (9/21/26)
Lake Berryessa water level has now dropped to 429.2 feet - 10.8 feet below Glory Hole - typical for this time of year.
The lake output is averaging about 380 cfs (753 A-F per day) due to lower irrigation requirements.
Lake capacity is now at 1,353,794 Acre-Feet or 87.3%.
The recent cool air temperatures lowered the surface water temperature to 74 degrees.
The Future Was Then, The Present is Now!
Those of you who have been reading The Lake Berryessa News for the past twenty years, recognize that it has often published stories before the stories became "stories". We predicted the need for large data centers to support so-called AI growth, and their demand for cooling and power, more than ten years ago. This incredibly prescient article, first published on April 1, 2014, is evidence of such long-range thinking by The Lake Berryessa News. It is also being featured as an item in this week's Sunday Funnies section. Negotiations are believed to be ongoing between Napa County, the Bureau of Reclamation, and Native American investors.
(https://www.lakeberryessanews.com/resources/Past-Stories-&-Reports/floating-native-american.pdf).
_________________________________________
Underwater Data Centers Coming to Lake Berryessa?
The need for server farms is growing rapidly due to the vast amount of data needing to be processed and stored. Just imagine the terabytes of video stored on YouTube (some of it even important - at least to someone). These data centers use a tremendous amount of energy and produce an amazing amount of heat. And heat is definitely bad for the life cycle of the sophisticated electronics employed.
The energy cost of operating data centers is growing. And much of that energy ultimately becomes waste heat. Innovative operators are looking at ways that this heat can be used in agricultural production and other areas.
Several data centers have been submerged underwater in both the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. The first underwater data center (photo below) was deployed by Microsoft into the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California.
Enough servers farms below the surface of Lake Berryessa will keep its water warm all year long and lower the amount of power needed. Backup power will come from floating solar cell gardens. These floating gardens would be maintained by the staff of the floating Native American casinos. The casinos will be given free access to the submerged processing power to support their sophisticated gambling operations. The fresh water of Lake Berryessa will not present the corrosion problems of server farms submerge in the ocean's salt water.
Excess heat, as warm water, can be pumped to the newly created catfish farms on the west side of the lake. The new resorts will also be able to use the water warmed by the server farms to create swimming beaches along their shores to allow swimming in the lake throughout the winter months.
_______________________________________________________________
Siri, Call 911 - Surprise! They Are Always Listening.
I never use Siri on my iPhone. But a few days ago I was working on my iPad when a person in a video I was watching on the iPad shouted, "Siri, call 911." My iPhone, which was close by, came to life and dialed 911. Although I immediately cancelled the 911 call, it had apparently gotten through to the Napa 911 operator. She quickly returned my call. When I explained to the operator what had happened, we both had a good laugh.
Speaking of spam telephone calls, I think I'll try this next time I get one.
Surreal is my middle name.
________________________________________________________________
I have a 6' x 3.5' Mercator projection map hanging in my living room. I put a narrow piece of red tape on it to mark the Equator. It serves as my wish list background for future travel choices - like a trip on the Amazon or an African safari. It's also covered with different colored push pins showing where I and my sons, Chris and Evan, have traveled around the world for business reasons, scuba diving expeditions, and other adventures.
The Mercator projection is always a bit jarring to the eye, especially since Greenland looks so big! So it was interesting to read that the United Nations has voted to phase out the use of this version of the world. It's interesting to see how small the rest of us are compared to the continent of Africa.
UN votes to adopt a new world map and phase out the Mercator projection
https://share.google/aimode/YlcrwisyXWE1GFbfz
The United Nations General Assembly voted on September 4, 2026, to phase out the traditional Mercator projection in global institutions because it drastically distorts the geographical proportions of the world, minimizing the size of Africa and other equatorial regions. The measure passed 164 votes in favor to 1 against, with 6 abstentions. The only vote against the proposal was the United States (surprise!) which called the initiative a "radical ideological project" - maybe because it made the U.S, and Greenland look so small.
Sponsored by Togo and backed heavily by the African Union, the resolution passed 164 to 1 to formally promote the "Equal Earth" map projection, a design that accurately displays the true scale and land area of all continent. The UN passed the resolution to correct deep-seated issues stemming from the 16th-century Mercator map:
Correcting Massive Geographic Distortions. The Mercator projection was originally created in 1569 for nautical navigation because it preserves straight compass bearings. However, to do this, it stretches landmasses further from the equator. This creates extreme visual inaccuracies.
The Greenland Illusion: On a Mercator map, Greenland appears roughly equal in size to the African continent. In reality, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland.
Equatorial Shrinkage: Landmasses near the equator—including Africa, Latin America, and South Asia—are visually shrunken. Africa alone covers 30.3 million square kilometers, making it larger than the United States, China, India, and most of Europe combined—a reality obscured by Mercator.
_____________________________________
In the age of AI, this poem is a bit dated,
but still funny to many of us "old folks" who were there at the beginning.
Dr. Seuss as Technical Writer
align="left">If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.
If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,
then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!
If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!
When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risc,
Then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM
Quicky turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom!
________________________________________________________________
What's happening to Lake Berryessa? Does anyone in D.C. care?
Usually The Lake Berryessa News reports on politics that affects the future of our lake community. But watching the latest shenanigans out of Washington brought up serious concerns about the lake's future, and some childhood memories of going to the circus. I remember the first few times I saw the "Clown Car" which amazed me - but I soon figured it out. It also reminded me that the fate of Lake Berryessa is partly embroiled in this mess.
The clown car routine originated during the 1950s in the Cole Bros. Circus. Circus performer Bob Strehlau, known as Juggles the Clown, is credited with creating the stunt. Strehlau felt that animal acts, particularly horses, were getting more attention than the clowns.
Because automobiles were replacing horses as common transport, he decided to use a tiny car instead of an animal to stage a comedic group entrance. Workers strip out all seats, door panels, headliners, and interior barriers to the trunk. The open interior allows between 14 and 21 performers and their soft props to squeeze inside.
The term "clown car cabinet" became a critical label used by political analysts and media figures to describe Donald Trump’s second-term administration picks, which critics argue prioritize personal loyalty over traditional qualifications and deep experience. Trump skipped the usual lengthy background checks and vetting processes for many nominees.
He chose figures expected to follow orders blindly rather than experts with job suitability. Several picks came from media or non-traditional political backgrounds rather than specialized government agencies. Nominations like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services and Pete Hegseth for Defense drew intense public scrutiny. Public outcry and reports of administration missteps have continued to grow. Several high-profile officials faced swift removals or resignations amid mounting scandals and administrative stress.
The country was warned about something called "Project 2025" long before the last election. Several high-ranking members and cabinet-level officials in Donald Trump’s administration have documented ties, contributions, or authorship roles in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 blueprint, despite Trump publicly distancing himself from the plan during his campaign. But he then appointed key cabinet and cabinet-level figures with ties to the radical right organization. You probably recognize some of he people below:
Russell Vought (Office of Management and Budget): Vought served as a co-author and primary architect of Project 2025, writing the chapter focused on expanding executive power over federal agencies.
Brendan Carr (Federal Communications Commission): Carr authored the specific FCC chapter in the Project 2025 policy guide, focusing on big tech and media regulations.
John Ratcliffe (Central Intelligence Agency): Ratcliffe is listed as a contributor to the project's intelligence community section.
Tom Homan (Border Czar): Homan is listed as an overall contributor who aided in the development and writing of the immigration and border enforcement sections.
Peter Navarro (Trade Advisor): Navarro wrote the trade policy chapter outlining increased tariffs within the Project 2025 framework.
Stephen Miller (White House Staff): Miller advised the project on immigration and executive power through his organization, America First Legal.
Doug Burgum (Secretary of the Interior): Cabinet member key to deciding the fate of Lake Berryessa's future, especially Camp Margaritaville's request to have a longer contract term to continue their development at Steele Canyon Campground.
Burgum won the 2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election in a landslide. He was reelected by a wide margin in 2020. In June 2023, Burgum launched a campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He ended his candidacy in early December 2023, and became an advisor on the Trump campaign's energy policy.
As Secretary of the Interior, he oversaw the Trump administration's crackdown on wind power, while promoting coal-fired power, expanded drilling on federal lands, and expanded metals extraction from federal lands and wildlife refuges. In 2026, Burgum announced that U.S. taxpayers would pay multiple energy companies, including a French company, nearly $2.6 billion to stop plans to build wind farms in the United States
________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Five Lake Berryessa resorts are open.
Spanish Flat Campground: https://campspanishflat.com/
Steele Canyon Campground: https://campsteelecanyon.com/
Pleasure Cove Marina: https://goberryessa.com/
Markley Cove Resort: https://markleycove.com/
Putah Canyon Campground: https://royalelkparkmanagement.com/putah-canyon
____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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
________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Lake Berryessa Fire Watch Cameras
This site covers the whole Lake Berryessa Region.
http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
____________________________________________________________
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?
_____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________-
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
_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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?
************
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?
************
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?
************
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.
___________________________________________________________________________________
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.
********
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/
********
Real-Time Lake Level, Lake Capacity, Water Temperature
Solano County Water Agency
https://www.scwamonitoring.com/LakeBerryessa/
*********
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
******
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