LAKE TULLOCH ALLIANCE » Propoals to Add Buoys Jeapordizes Public Use

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September 8, 2010

Propoals to Add Buoys Jeapordizes Public Use

Proposals by Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office
Threatens Boating on Lake Tulloch
Several Homeowners Support Action: LTA Opposes it!

Buoys on Tuolumne County shoreline with some added by homeowners
removing more surface area of the lake from public use.
Note: one homeowner's buoy placed at least 200 feet from the shoreline

Tuolumne Sheriff's office deputies, supported by several homeowners on both sides of Lake Tulloch near the Lake Tulloch resort, are proposing adding nearly a dozen more buoys on the shoreline of the county's side of the lake. The proposal would also legalize those that have been placed by homeowners following the construction of their homes. These were installed by homeowners with no approval by Trid Dam which has sole authority for buoy placement. It appears that the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office may propose more buoys on their side of the lake. The proposals are being made in the "name of public safety."

The Tuolumne County Sheriff's proposal calls for the placement of more than a half dozen buoys just in the Green Springs area of the lake. These buoys are being demanded by some homeowners to "protect their docks" following the construction of their homes. Additional buoys are being proposed westward. These buoys place more of the lake into 5 MPH zones.

Man Made vs. Natural Need for Buoys - Buoys are prudent in certain applications. There are small coves on the lake where boating at higher speeds is unsafe and buoys make total sense because of topography not because of private structures built on the private land for private benefit.

The bottom line is that none of these buoys were proposed until private property owners built their docks on the lake and now they want to remove surface area of the lake for their personal benefit! Up until the time the houses were built == the waterways were totally open to boating!

Lake Tulloch Resort -- Entirely built on fill and with buoys, this and
other development has removed a huge portion of the lake for public use

Lake Tulloch being filled in 1957 - note that none of the land upon with private developments
including the Lake Tulloch Resort existed. Government agencies did not stop this rip off of the
the public and now buoys for purely private benefit threaten more public use.
(Photo taken in 1957)
See more on Lake Tullock in 1957 - click here

Public Safety

While the buoys are being proposed to ensure public safety, in the past the primary calls for buoys have been made to protect the docks and boats installed by property owners. More buoys will not insure public safety but more law enforcement will. The LTA has strongly supported for years action to protect public safety and this begins with adding law enforcement presence on the lake in May to September but that requires money. The Alliance has proposed the imposition of an annual fee for all boats on the lake which would be used to add law enforcement officers and for environmental issues including the prevention of the Quagga Mussels from invading the lake and reduction of the weeds in the lake which are now growing dramatically.

Check out LTA long time proposals to protect the lake - click here.

Read this 2007 Story from Union Democrat for more perspective on the issues

Nearly every recent accident on the lake has involved alcohol. Too many boaters and personal watercraft operators do not operate under state boating laws. Public education could help but the addition of more buoys which narrow channels of the lake and bring watercraft closer together is not an answer and will only compound problems. They narrow channels. Lake Tahoe for example has no such policy and is patrolled by four Sheriff Offices and the United States Coast Guard.

History - The Tri Dam Authority is licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to manage Lake Tulloch and insure continued public use. Under that license the agency is commanded to protect public use but over the years a large portion of the lake has been eliminated from public use through landfills and development. In 1997, members of the Lake Tulloch Alliance steering committee brought these practices to attention of the then new leadership of Tri Dam to all responsible Federal and State Agencies. Unfortunately, the surrounding counties refused to end approval of projects that compromised the lake.

Fortunately the leadership of Tri Dam over the past decade has taken steps to reverse the mistakes of the past in spite of the refusal of other the counties to protect the lake. The current Calaveras County Supervisor Russ Thomas has also been an important voice for reversal of past policies that have damaged the lake.

Private Benefit Vs. Public Benefit

Unfortunately the government has supported projects and policies that benefit a few private land owners which allow them to use a public water way for their personal use. Landfills, construction over the surface of the lake, and, now, the placement of numerous buoys around the lake has and will continue to take more surface area of the lake away from public use.

A Dirty Little Secret about Docks - Docks on the lake are a privilege and not an entitlement. FERC allows it's licensee to permit docks which could be rescinded. The docks and other structures are not supposed to damage public use of the lake. For that reason , FERC suggests that docks should be clustered and other policies to protect public use. For more information on FERC policies read the shoreline management report by the federal agency click here.

The fact is that if the United States Government decided that private development including docks or even boating itself threaten public use, water quality, the environment and other issues, all development could be ordered to be removed from the lake.

Home Values -- The value of homes on and adjacent to the lake are higher because of the presence of the lake and the public use of the lake. The removal of more portions of the lake from public use and the potential for installation of more 5mph zones will threaten the values of homes.