News on Lake McClure raises hopes for irrigation, recreation

El Niño won’t cure California’s punishing drought, but recent storms have raised local reservoir levels and bulked up the snowpack – an optimistic sign for farmers and businesses that depend on Lake McClure water.

Merced Irrigation District officials held off from making any announcements or discussing the upcoming irrigation season during their meeting Tuesday. But early reports show that while the watershed for Lake McClure is still below average, it has improved dramatically from this time last year.

John Sweigard, general manager of MID, told the board of directors Tuesday that the district will hold a special meeting March 29 to discuss its operating budget and how much water will go to growers later this year.

“Given the wet weather and the uncertainty of the snowpack, we think that that timing would probably be better,” Sweigard said.

In the meeting, Sweigard noted the district hopes to allocate at least 175,000 acre-feet of water to farmers this year, but that could change depending on the weather. In a typical year, MID releases 500,000 acre-feet of surface water from Lake McClure into its system.

The state Department of Water Resources predicted March 8 that the 2016 runoff into McClure will be 420,000 acre-feet, about 66 percent of average, MID reported at Tuesday’s meeting.

The infill to Lake McClure on Monday was about 5,000 cubic feet per second. Last year at this time, the water level was decreasing, said Hicham Eltal, deputy general manager for water supply.

“Last year was a year we don’t ever want to see again,” Eltal said.

The improving health of the reservoir was met with mixed reaction by community members who use it for recreation in the summer.

Barrett Cove Marina at McClure has not been in operation and was moved to the deepest part of the lake. MID has issued a request for qualifications for a marina operator once lake conditions allow for the marina to be relocated to its regular location.

Stan Bommarito, the sales and finance manager at Merced Powersports, said he’s not optimistic about this summer’s jet ski sales based on the level of Lake McClure.

Before the drought, Bommarito sold around 20 Yamaha WaveRunners or Kawasaki Jet Skis a season. He’s sold about five in each of the last few summers.

“Until that dam (the Old Exchequer) gets covered, and the water is 15 to 20 feet above that, then recreating things will start,” Bommarito said.

The Old Exchequer Dam, built in the 1920s, has been exposed during the drought. But MID officials anticipate that, for the first time in years, it soon will be underwater again.

Even though the outlook of an irrigation season remains in limbo, the Yosemite Lake Sailing Association is hopeful they’ll get a sailing season. The club depends on water in Lake Yosemite, which is an irrigation lake.

Last year was the first year in 20 years the club didn’t sail because there wasn’t enough water in Lake Yosemite, said Jay Sousa, the commodore for the association. The club also canceled its annual regatta, which attracts people from all over the state.

“It was very disappointing,” Sousa said. “But we stayed together as a club and had other activities like barbecues and dinners.”

The sailing association still is waiting to hear official word from MID on the upcoming season. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best,” Sousa said.

Lake McSwain, located just below Lake McClure, has been particularly popular in recent weeks because of recent fish plants, said Mike Jensen, a spokesman for MID. Lake McSwain is open year-round for picnicking, fishing and overnight camping. The marina provides boat rentals, a cafe and store.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 10:43 AM with the headline "News on Lake McClure raises hopes for irrigation, recreation."