Clear Lake officials use Tahoe as model to work on water issues
By Elizabeth Larson, Lake County News
LAKEPORT – What to do about managing Clear Lake’s algae and weeds brought together local and federal officials for an informal Friday workshop.
The meeting took place Friday morning in the Board of Supervisors chambers in the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport.
Those sitting around the table included Congressman Mike Thompson and his district representative Brad Onorato, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program Chief Brandon Muncy and Col. Bill Leady, County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, Supervisors Denise Rushing and Jeff Smith, county Water Resources Director Scott De Leon and his water engineer Tom Smythe, Lake County Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton, Dr. Greg Giusti of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Dr. Harry Lyons of Yuba College, Lakeport City Council member Suzanne Lyons, Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira, local businesswoman Kathy Fowler and Clearlake Keys resident Dennis Locke.
Cox told the group that the increase in algae issues in recent years – and the accompanying bad press about it – has had devastating effects on the county’s economy.
Dr. Harry Lyons noted that the lake has now gone into its “winter regime” due to changes in nutrients, sunlight and weather.
“The system is nonlinear,” he said.
He added, “That should leave us optimistic because the more we do the more, in essence, the algae can respond to it.”
