Lake Berryessa Statistics - January 17, 2022
The official rainfall total at Monticello Dam has reached 15.8 inches.
The lake level has risen to 410.1 feet 29.9 feet below Glory Hole.
The Stork Metric is still "about 6 buoys down”.
The Gamble Guage: The lake is at 64.3% capacity.
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Capell Cove boat launch reopened Jan. 11, 2022
https://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/berryessa/visitor-info.html
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"Without The Lake Berryessa News,
there would be no Lake Berryessa news."
I am deeply gratified by the reponses to my 20 for 22 appeal in my last newsletter! Thanks for your donations to keep the Lake Berryessa News moving forward. But also for your compliments and notes of encouragement. These are the things that help keep me going.
The descriptions of your love of the lake, your experiences here, your family history at the lake convince me that there is a real Lake Berryessa Community. We may be geographically dispersed, but we are united in spirit. And looking forward to the revitalization of our lake.
One Last Special Appeal to Our Readers
Experience shows that without THE LAKE BERRYESSA NEWS, there would be no Lake Berryessa news! Where else could you find the kind of information about Lake Berryessa that you see below?
Your decision to support the Lake Berryessa News will show your vote of confidence in the future of the Lake Berryessa community. So I will make the appeal only once more - the 20 for 22 Donation Program!
If you like the Lake Berryessa News in all it’s forms please send a donation check of $20 (or more if you feel so inclined) made out to Peter Kilkus (not the Lake Berryessa News) and mail it to Peter Kilkus, 1515 Headlands Drive, Napa, CA 94558. If you trust the US Postal Service you can stick a crinkly old $20 bill in an envelope with your information and send it to the same address. You can also use Venmo or Paypal if you wish. My account is under the name Peter Kilkus. You can contact me directly at 415-307-6906 or email me at pkilkus@gmail.com. (Note: Your donation is NOT tax deductible)
If you have not yet decided to donate, please do so. If you wish to keep getting your Lake Berryessa News for free, that's fine too. I hope you enjoy reading the Lake Berryssa News as much as I enjoy writing it. I’ll do my best to keep you informed about every detail affecting the lake community.
Thanks, Peter Kilkus
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Steele Canyon Resort Update
Steele Canyon Resort is open for business as Sun Lake Berryessa continues its clean-up in preparation for rebuilding. The front gate is open. Local residents, Stacy and Rocky, welcome you.
The launch is open and the view is spectacular.
Steele Canyon online booking site:
https://www.campspot.com/book/steele-canyon
Spanish Flat also has an online booking site: www.campspot.com/book/spanish-flat
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Markley Cove Recovery!
While the Lake Berryessa News was out and about in the previous post, we also stopped by Markley Cove. There has not been too much news about Markley lately. They suffered significant fire damage and had to go through a rebuilding process. They lost their offices and the nice store at the entrance which has been replaced by temporary building.
But they are open!
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Lake Berryessa News Print Edition Returns on
April 1, 2022 (April Fool's Day)!
Due to the success of the 20 for 22 Donation Program the print version will return featuring my favorite topic - the April Fool's Day edition. You can read many previous year's editions including the classic "Floating Native American Casino Coming to Lake Berryessa" at:
https://www.lakeberryessanews.com/archives/1-best-of-april-1-stories.pdf
But this year I hve a small problem. I'm not sure I can come with new ideas. I need your help. If you have an idea for an April Fool's Day story or product, please send it to me at pkilkus@gmail.com. I'll credit you if I use your idea.
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Idiotic New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Never Actually Keep
Exercise More: It’s time to finally accept your body for the damaged, irreparable pile of trash that it is.
Improving Your Life In Any Capacity: Widely acknowledged to be completely impossible.
Be Kinder To Yourself: Ha! You’re going to give up on day one and hate yourself for it the rest of the year for it.
Getting Your Online Shopping Under Control: The only time your brain has felt a spark of joy these last two years has been when you see that a new package arrived. Don’t deprive yourself of that.
Be More Confident: You know you’ll never do it, but try hard anyway.
Climb Mount Kilimanjaro: You haven’t even looked up what country that’s in—it’s not happening.
Binging All Old Prestige TV: Sad to think that even this purely frivolous goal that contributes nothing to society will be too much for you to handle this year.
Go To Therapy: And pay some “professional” to say “tell me all your problems”. You already knew them.
Read More Books: Yeah, the person who got overwhelmed by “How to Appear Normal at Social Events: And Other Essential Wisdom” is definitely going to tackle Anna Karenina.
Memorize The Bible: You try this every year and it always breaks down by Genesis chapter 10. Time to give it a rest.
Do Something About That Eagle Devouring Your Liver: Ever since you gave humanity the gift of fire and Zeus sentenced you to have an organ torn out of your body every night, you’ve been moaning about making a change. But you know you’ll somehow never get around to it.
Just Make It Through Till Next Year: Good luck, pal.
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What’s Under Lake Berryessa?
Outskirts of the Town of Monticello
Partly Come Out of the Water in 1991.
Capell Creek Bridge is visible again.
Discussion of Lake Berryessa water levels often raises the question of what is down at the bottom. The Town of Monticello and thousands of acres of prime farmland were destroyed by the lake.
The buildings were all demolished or burned down. Nothing taller than the building foundations were left. Some houses were moved up to the Spanish Flat Village area. The bodies in the cemetery were dug up and moved to the Monticello Cemetery next to the Senior Center on Spanish Flat Loop Road. Some of the foundations came out of the water during the drought in 1991. See the news video here:
https://www.lakeberryessanews.com/_Media/1-town-of-monticello-surfac.mp4
With the rain coming down and new speculation about future rainfall, there have been several posts about the Capell Creek Bridge rising out of the lake during the 1990-1992 drought. The Capell Creek Bridge is located adjacent to the Capell Creek Launch Ramp. Here are some photos from that time.
Laake level was 361.7 feet, 78.3 feet below Glory Hole.
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Check out Evan Kilkus’ drone videos documenting the filling of the lake and the overflow of Glory Hole for the first time in 11 years.
https://www.lakeberryessanews.com/photo-album/videos.html
For some fun with weather events, how many remember the Great Lake Berryessa waterspout of 2017 - the wild drought recovery year?
See the actual video at: Lake Berryessa Waterspout
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Where does Lake Berryessa water go after being born as a rain drop?
Here’s an amazing visualization tool! Click to drop a raindrop anywhere in the contiguous United States and watch where it ends up!
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New Feature: Lake Berryessa Historical Maps
Many People have an interest in Lake Berryessa history. For many years I’ve been collecting old paper maps. I had them scanned and just posted them on this web site in a photo album at: www.lakeberryessanews.com/photo-album/lake-berryessa-historical-2/.
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The definitive book about what happened at Lake Berryessa!
Policy and Politics Betray the People:
The Lake Berryessa Saga, 1958-2020
This KPIX Eye on the Bay interview I did in 2010 is 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.
The book is available on Amazon as a Kindle version and a paperback version.
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Special Reports
Detailed report on how Lake Berryessa and Monticello Dam function at:
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Special Release: New combined report for those who want to know almost everything about how Lake Berryessa works!
A Combination of Science, Engineering, and Natural Beauty
The Science and Engineering Elements of a Major Natural Resource
Download Full Report PDF Here...
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Lake Berryessa Fills and Glory Hole Spills: The Video History
This amazing series of Lake Berryessa News Drone videos by Evan Kilkus documents the 45 foot rise of Lake Berryessa in 2017.
http://lakeberryessanews.com/photo-album/videos.html
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Thanks to Carol Fitzpatrick for creating the Berryessa Valley Exhibit at the Spanish Flat Village Center described in the first video.
https://www.facebook.com/BERRYESSA-VALLEY-EXHIBIT-767097649995856/photos/
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Best of April Fool's Stories (2009 - 2021)
Full April Fool's Issues (2009 to 2021)
Grass-Fed People to Replace Grass-Fed Beef
Triploid Trout Getting Bigger and Smarter in Lake Berryessa
Becoming REALLY Green to Help Our Planet
University of Lake Berryessa Promotes Global Food Security:
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Scuba Diving the Putah Creek Stone Bridge
Lake Berryessa Waterspout 2017
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The Stock Market IS NOT the Economy, Stupid!
Bird Goes Over the Glory Hole Waterfall Without A Barrel
Glory Hole: Awesome, Frightening, But Dangerous?
My First Fishing Trip on Lake Berryessa
Rattlesnakes: Friend or Enemy – or just a primal fear?
High Conflict Personality Disorder
This Bud’s for you (and from you), Lake Berryessa!!
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Special Publications (PDF)
The Science and Engineering Elements of a Major Natural Resource (Combined Reports)
Combined Report Title Page and Index
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As Lake Berryessa Flows:
A Combination of Science, Engineering, and Natural Beauty
(Single Report)
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Temperature and Fishing in a Warm, Monomictic Lake
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Seeing Underwater at Lake Berryessa
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By Peter Kilkus
The Twisted Ten-Year Political Path From a Modest Nature Area Partnership to a Local Blue Ridge Berryessa National Conservation Area to a Large Disjointed Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area to an Incoherent Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
Is it the “Dumbest National Monument in the United States”? An objective review of the process by which it was created and the final formal designation suggests the answer is YES. I personally support the creation of legitimate national monuments, but this is not that. Being part of the ten year political process that led to its creation convinced me that in many situations the Antiquities Act is being abused. The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument is a perfect case study of this abuse.
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The Amazing Foods of Chef Neiman Marxist
Environmental Forum of Marin: Agriculture Day, 1999
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Sun Lake Berryessa Master File
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Evan fights the fire at our house
