New Loveland Updates

[Everydog]

Getting very promising feedback from California Waterboards on Loveland's future, including balancing beneficial uses and environmental care. DFW is one of the participants in taking care of Loveland now. There won't be punishment for what Sweetwater did, but it seems everybody knows it can be done better.

Issa's guy is getting closer to sunrise to sunset it seems. I hope he just tells the Forest Service to enforce it. For now, it is still conditioned on some community volunteer scheme that will certainly have trouble launching to start, and staying afloat if it ever does. One thing is certain, we are taking more ownership of our valid stake in this public property.

[Everydog]

Here is the Fox Coverage of the Meeting.

https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-new ... reservoir/

[Everydog]

I bet Sycuan would be open to allowing an electroshock/fish relocation back up the hill to where they originally came from . Would be a good look for them to help out the lake/community by basically doing nothing but opening up a gate

Looking at this again, good idea. Sweetwater and Sycuan have been fighting about water issues. Not sure if that is behind them now. USFWS might want non-native populations removed down west of the dam. When there are win, win, wins, there is a chance. I know fish and wildlife are worried about the about to be added to the US endangered species list, Western Pond Turtle. Will try to air this idea out with organizations that are helping us now more than when this comment was made.

[DonM]

Would like to see the fish population come back. Was some really nice catfish in the lake. Been seeing some really fat bass around 10 to 11 inches in small schools.

[Everydog]

This Article is Good publicity for Loveland and especially,
https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/taxonomy/term/23602

[Everydog]

All publicity is good publicity at this point, I suspect.
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/202 ... rHkWNjpDcU

[otaymichael]

So many ideas on how to spend that $750K. Sounds like a bit of light at the end of a very long tunnel.

[Everydog]

The good thing about the 750k is it brings people with some investment in the reservoir. Other than that it has been a big pain in the ass. Going forward Loveland has to seem worth fighting for, or avoid being embarrassed about, by more people than it did a year ago, two years ago, three years ago......back at the front of the tunnel. On that note, I have done as much as I can to encourage more funding from Supervisor Anderson and Congressman Issa.

At this point, I think there are at least 50/50 odds that the County of San Diego will wind up with some kind of partnership in the management of Loveland.

There will probably be a several-month lull until it is figured out who will pay for fish restocking if it is going to happen and if there is going to be an admission that the public is owed a minimum pool of some sort there at Loveland.

[Everydog]

I got the County of San Diego and the City of San Diego agreement for Lake Morena.
Interesting history, the city sold it to the county in 1970 with the option to buy it back, which the city exercised in 1991.
The second interesting clause is that the county had the right to lease it for not less than 50 years to run the recreation.

Then there was this when the city took the property back from the county in that 1991 agreement:

5. Loss of Water. COUNTY hereby agrees:
That CITY at any time may withdraw water from the water pool
on said property.

Why did the county agree? Did they have to? Could they have said the lease clause included a minimum pool?

There is no such stipulation in any of the Forest Service/ Sweetwater land swaps for Loveland fishing program agreements and the only language that indicates that the agreement was for access to the " shoreline for fishing" in perpetuity.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14x62UU ... sp=sharing

[Everydog]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lkCNhS ... sp=sharing


Sweetwater was warned by US Fish and Wildlife, also under the watch of DFW, not to send polluted sediment-laden water into the protected species' habitat and to shut the valve if this was occurring. Sweetwater proceeded to do exactly what they were warned not to do to devastating effect. USFWS forgave and maybe even is using new tax dollars to clean it up.

USFWS wanted to leave the Loveland Valve open during winter and then when there was no more water storage capacity at Sweetwater to trickle water out of Loveland until July. We can see that doesn't work and maintaining historical storage policies would have been extremely better.

As of last January. USFWS does not want Lovleand's US Government Partnership fishing program restocked because non-native predator fish could escape and hunt the turtles that Sweetwater killed a few days after this horrible suggestion was made.

[Everydog]

It looks like there is no end or limit to the forfeiture of clout by regulators/enforcement/politicians for Sweetwater. It is a massive nationwide capitulation and includes, of course, the Forest Service. Taxpayers/Citizens and even the allegedly protected environment and species pay.
A handful of directors at Sweetwater rule the country.

[Everydog]

A few of the comments from this thread made it into my last Sweetwater Public Records request. LOL
Hello, whoever you are....we don't bite.

[Everydog]

The Sweetwater General Manager announced some sort of pending transfer at yesterday's meeting. Not a lot of room at Sweetwater.

[Everydog]

The transfer looks reasonable, Some of the directors seem contrite about it. One said he didn't agree with the timing of the transfer last year...better late than never doesn't even apply.

[Gotfish?]

The buckets of smaller fish that have been put into Loveland will spawn next year (if they aren't already getting busy). Their success depends on whether the water district screws around with the water level next spring and summer. "Genetics" aren't needed; with warm water, consistent water levels, and forage Loveland will be filled up with catchable bass in two years, and decent sized fish in three or four. Not my opinion, just science.

Edit: But....there's probably some grant money out there somewhere that could relocate some bigger bass and accelerate the process.

I like the idea of relocating some Barrett fish, not just the bass but bluegill, crappie and shad. Even bullheads if you want.

What shouldn't be done is to relocate fish from a lake with quagga mussels, too easy for some quaggas to tag along.

It would be a great lake to open to float tube and kayak. But that requires additional $$ for water testing and a lot more user friendly management to happen.

[Everydog]

No bullheads, please.

[Everydog]

Sweetwater Reservoir and Loveland Reservoir Update:

Sweetwater
Sweetwater Authority is talking about Kayaking at Sweetwater Reservoir. This is part of a public give-and-take component of the new plan for floating solar panels on that body of water. People who want to see that happen might want to be seen and heard about it because Sweetwater will use it to get what they want and not keep the promises. They are trying to put somewhere between 10 and 50 acres of floating solar panels on Sweetwater Res.


Loveland:
Per recent communication with State Senator Jones' office, the next meeting about Loveland will still come about and be held in Alpine this spring.

USFWS won't easily retract its wish not to have non-native fish in Loveland. I have been Working on that for months, still knowing how stubborn these agencies can be... We want threadfin shad put in there to verify sufficient breeding stocks of all the regulars. The USFWS contact reminds me of the Forest Service guys and that's not good. We should have an answer in a few months I would think. Sweetwater acts like it can and will stock and then like it can't depending on the audience and situation. They have been doing that since they drained the lake last year. USFWS agents flat-out covered up the US Clean Water Act of passing sediment out of the Dam and into the turtle ponds downstream. The contact I had engaged over that said " while we haven't found where in Lawson Creek it came from we are sure that is the source".

My Sweetwater Authority public records responses show a lot of generalized references to new water license interpretations and new State Water Resources Control Board Mandates for Sweetwater Authority and Loveland. Three advocates have a follow-up in-person meeting with a State Waterboard official this coming week to keep our needs and wants for Loveland, like reasonable use and respect for the environment and people on both sides of the dam at the forefront.

[Everydog]

Loveland Transfer is underway. It will all be fine. Can't help but imagine if those "water professionals" had transferred at this time last year like was always done before.

[Mcfish]

Loveland is a classic example of the pathetic politicians and beauracrats we have running this state! Loveland would probably be fine now if they just left it alone!

[Everydog]

What a disaster those folks have been in this case, and on every single turn of events.

Only FEMA did well, by rejecting Sweetwater's multi-million dollar scam claims for damage they did to Loveland last winter. Sweetwater tried to claim they lost capacity in the reservoir! Of, course there could have been fraud charges.

Still, I half Suspect Sweetwater got a Congressman or two to tell FEMA to allow a successful appeal.