Lake Berryessa News
(4/13/26)
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Lake Berryessa Statistics (4/13/26)
Lake Berryessa water level has risen about an inch to 438.8 feet - 1.2 feet below Glory Hole.
Rainfall of 1.5 inches during the last four days brought the season total at Monticello Dam to 22.8 inches for the rain year.
The lake output is averaging about 300 cfs, 595 A-F per day.
When full (Glory Hole level) the lake contains 1,532,332 Acre-Feet of water.
Lake capacity is now at 1,533,025 Acre-Feet or 98.5%.
Water temperatures dropped a bit to an average of 67 degrees at the surface, remaining locked at about 54 degrees from 40 feet to the bottom.
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April Fools' Month - Week 2
Glory Hole Watch 2026 is Over, but April Fools' Month is Just Beginning!
Click this link for some of the best April Fools' stories from The Lake Berryessa News:
Best April Fool's Stories,
https://www.lakeberryessanews.com/resources/Best-April-1-Stories.pdf
And remember, if you read it in The Lake Berryessa News, it must be true?
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April Fool's or Foolish April
I saw this item in a fictional spy thriller last week. I thought it might be a good April Fool's story. Then I researched it and...it is true! I'm not sure how I missed this. Those of us who lived through the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant disaster may be a bit shocked.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident
But if you've kept up with the latest news about Artificial Intelligence developments, you know the massive power needs of the extensive server farms required to run the AI software (similar to the bitcoin mining requirements).
Microsoft negotiating to reopen Three Mile Island (1/2/26)
The plant is expected to resume operations in 2027 as the Crane Clean Energy Center (CCEC). The entirety of the plant's energy output will be sold to Microsoft Corporation. Officials said power would return to Unit 1 at TMI by 2027 to fuel Microsoft data centers as part of a deal with Constellation Energy. The reactor, home to the nation's worst nuclear disaster, closed in 2019 after years of unprofitability.
Microsoft describes Three Mile Island plant as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
https://penncapital-star.com/economy/microsoft-describes-three-mile-island-plant-as-aonce-in-a-lifetime-opportunity/
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Yountville Considers Reorganizing as a Cruise Ship
Due to the present economic strains on all of Napa County due to the contraction of the wine industry, Yountville leaders are exploring extraordinary means to compensate. One possibility is to politically reincorporate itself from a town to a cruise ship!
Yountville incorporated as a town on February 4, 1965. It is known for its small-town, walkable atmosphere and world-renowned culinary scene. Located in the heart of Napa Valley, surrounded by vineyards, it is considered the "Culinary Capital of the Napa Valley," hosting several Michelin-starred restaurants. The central commercial area is easily walkable, often described as a, "art of the stroll" town, with most amenities accessible by foot along Washington Street.
The population is approximately 2,800 to 3,400, people. Yountville's main, walkable commercial area—primarily located along Washington Street—is roughly six blocks (1,800 feet) long. The entire town is highly concentrated, often described as a one-mile, walkable stretch, allowing visitors to travel between restaurants, tasting rooms, and shops on foot. It is generally compact and easy to wander.
These characteristics are very compatible with the design goals of a cruise ship! Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship, measuring 1,196 feet long accommodating up to 7,600 passengers (plus 2,350 crew), = 9,850 people. The whole population of Yountville, if on a cruise aboard the Icon of the Seas, would only occupy half of the ship.
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One incentive for Yountville to make this change is to increase tourism revenue by attracting business travelers who can deduct their travel expenses if going to meetings or seminars on the cruise ship. See the article below. Icon of the Seas is owned by Royal Caribbean Group and operated by Royal Caribbean International. Yountville is planning merger talks, or at least profit sharing, with Royal Caribbean soon.
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A Cruise Makes a Fabulous Vacation—and a Fabulous Tax Deduction If You Plan It Right
Estimated tax savings. In 2015, you can deduct between $678 and $810 each day for cruise travel (the limits depend on the time of year you travel). For example, if you take a qualifying five-day cruise that costs $3,390, you can deduct the expense in full. Believe it or not, tax law gives you the freedom to travel luxuriously and write off your entire trip! For example, when it comes to deducting the cost of your business flight, you can choose to fly first class or coach—the IRS will give you a full deduction for either.
Which is good news for you as a taxpayer—this deduction may be exactly what makes your luxury travel affordable. So how about if you push this idea to the extreme? Can you deduct the cost of a cruise if you use the cruise ship as business transportation? Absolutely! The law sets an upper limit on the amount you can deduct for each day of travel, but those limits are high enough to cover most (if not all) of the price.
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Politically, the Mayor would become the Captain. Council members would be designated as Customer Service Representatives. Department heads would keep their original titles. One minor issue is that a cruise ship should technically be surrounded by water. The town may need to construct a 20 foot wide moat around the town/cruise ship boundaries. As an incentive, cruise customers would be given a DVD copy of all ten seasons "The Love Boat".
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April Headlines
U.S. Populace Appoints Designated Survivor
U.S. Suffers Additional Casualties In War It Won Last Week
U.S. Tourists Advised To Temporarily Avoid Shootouts With Mexican Drug Cartels
RFK Jr. Claims Anti-Protein Extremists Left Head Of Lettuce On His Doorstep
God Admits He No Longer Loves Humanity But Is Too Afraid To Leave
Olympians Showered With Mortadella Confetti During Milan Closing Ceremonies
Universe Practically Stumbling Over Itself To Reward Man’s Decision To Stop Making Art
RFK Jr. Claims Keto Diet Cures Schizophrenia
Study Finds Intermittent Fasting No More Effective Than Conventional Eating Disorder
Man Annoyed He Has To Chew Current Food Before He Can Chew Next Food
James Cameron Reveals Next ‘Avatar’ Movie Will Focus On Vast Menagerie Of Sodas Available On Pandora
Local Dad Really Banking On Sports To Instill Core Values In Children
Anyone Else Have Those Weird Dreams Where Sobbing Future Generations Beg You To Change Course?
Human Arm Hanging Limply Out Of Food Delivery Robot
Study: 97% Of All Sounds Infuriating
Trump Defends Addition Of Ballroom To Air Force One
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Glory Hole Watch 2026 has slowed. For historical perspective, watch Evan Kilkus' Lake Berryessa News drone videos of the dramatic rise of Lake Berryessa as it finally spilled over Glory Hole on 2/16/17 after an 11-year drought at:
https://youtu.be/bGJvofIyTwQ
1/11/17: 10"+ of Rain Takes Its Toll, But Lake Berryessa is Rising
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https://youtu.be/PRWAfVw9DBU
2/10/17: Lake Berryessa Is Almost Full
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https://youtu.be/8pIPsgLFggk
2/12/17: Lake Berryessa Splashes Over Glory Hole -With a Little Help
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https://youtu.be/EH0LQW7iduY
2/12/17: Breathtakingly Beautiful Drone Tour of Lake Berryessa
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https://youtu.be/cB0BKIm1EzM
2/16/17: Lake Berryessa Is Full &Splashing Over the Spillway
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https://youtu.be/uQp0QConILY
2/18/17: Lake Berryessa Is Spilling 1 Foot Over Glory Hole
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Original ACDC version of:
2/18/17: Lake Berryessa Is Spilling 1 Foot Over Glory Hole
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https://youtu.be/-iHAjOrrU4k
2/21/17: Lake Berryessa is 3.5' OVER the Glory Hole Spillway
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https://youtu.be/qhPzR2Gqzs0
2/24/17: Another Breathtaking Drone Tour of a Full Lake Berryessa
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Track the real-time Lake Berryessa weather at:
Skiers Cove (Below the Berryessa Highlands)
Skier Cove - KCANAPA228
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA228
East Side Road (Across from Big Island)
East Side Road, Lake Berryessa - KCALAKEB2
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCALAKEB2
Spanish Flat (Near the Spanish Flat Recreation Area)
Roger - KCASPANI1
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCASPANI1
Berryessa Pines
KCANAPA461
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA461
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Lake Berryessa Fire Watch Cameras
This site covers the whole Lake Berryessa Region.
http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
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Free Book Chapters Available For Download
My sincere thanks to those of you who contributed to the future of the Lake Berryessa News. I challenge you to find any Lake Berryessa news anywhere. Hopefully, the many years of our intensive reporting about the latest Lake Berryessa issues will convince you of the truth of our motto, "Without The Lake Berryessa News there would be no Lake Berryessa news".
Here's a gift from The Lake Berryessa News to my readers - Free downloadable chapters from my books:
The Death of a Valley
Why Does Lake Berryessa Exist?
The Lake Berryessa Watershed
Rainfall and Lake Level History
How High Is Lake Berryessa?
How Deep is Lake Berryessa?
How Much Water Does Lake Berryessa Hold?
Mean Sea Level: Is There Such A Thing As Accurate Height?
Water In, Water Out, But From Where?
Does the WALROS Like Lake Berryessa?
Why is Lake Berryessa Not a Part of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument?
East Side Story
Hiking and Wildlife Viewing
Are There Quail on Quail Ridge?
Why Does A Hiker Cross The Road? To Get To Stebbins Cold Canyon!
Private Houseboats - Yes; Private RVs & Trailers - No: Why?
Motorized Boats Banned From Big Island Lagoon! Why!
Archeologists Can't Dunk But Can Dig
What Can't You Do At Lake Berryessa?
Napa Opposes Building the Monticello Dam
Monticello Dam Construction
Raise Monticello Dam
Power Generation at Monticello Dam
Monticello Dam Failure Analysis
Predicting the Future & Glory Hole Drone Videos
As Lake Berryessa Turns!
The Ins and Outs & Ups and Downs of Lake Berryessa
Does Lake Berryessa Sweat in the Summer?
Glory Hole Introduction
How Does Glory Hole Work?
Glory Hole: Awesome, Frightening, But Dangerous?
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Lake Berryessa Political History (Free Downloads of Book Chapters)
Policy And Politics Betray The People: The Lake Berryessa Saga: 1958 - 2020, By Peter Kilkus
I. The Five Tragedies Of The Berryessa Valley: A History Of Heartbreak
II. Lake Berryessa Political History Timeline
III. The “Big Lie”: How It All Began
IV. The “Big Fail”: Napa Abandons Lake Berryessa (1975)
V. The “Big Picture”: Lake Berryessa Issues: 1957 - 2012
VI. The “Big Illusion”: Notice Of Intent
VII. The “Big Fight”: Facts Do Matter
VIII. The “Big Betrayal”: Perversion Of Public Law 96-375
IX. The “Big Mistake”: Pensus - The Beginning Was The End!
X. The “Big Hole In History”: Post-Pensus Blues
XI. The “Big Boondoggle”: Creation Of A Phony National Monument
Addendum 1. Dueling Napa Register Letters To The Editor
Addendum 2. The Napa Register View
Index Of Primary Documents
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Lake Berryessa Technical Manual: The Science, Engineering, History, and Humor of a Major Unnatural Resource
https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Berryessa-Technical-Manual-Engineering-ebook/dp/B0C21DZ9M9/ref=sr_1_3?
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Policy and Politics Betray the People: The Lake Berryessa Saga: 1958 - 2020
https://www.amazon.com/Policy-Politics-Betray-People-Berryessa-ebook/dp/B08MFSQDBR/ref=sr_1_1?
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Conspiracy Theory or Automatic Pilot: The Economic Roots of Environmental Destruction
https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Theory-Automatic-Pilot-Environmental/dp/1676368302/ref=sr_1_3?
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The KPIX Eye on the Bay interview below is one I did in 2010 and 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.
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Lake Berryessa Data Sources
There are many sources of Lake Berryessa water and weather conditions available. The Solano County Water Agency site is good for real-time graphs of level, capacity, and water temperature. The California Data Exchange Center has data going back decades for level, capacity, capacity change, dam outflow, dam inflow, and rainfall. Anyone can research their own data and create custom charts. This is the source of many of the charts on the Lake Berryessa News website.
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An upgraded wildfire alert camera system will be keeping watch on Napa County day and night and notifying Cal Fire crews of potential fires. Twenty cameras will be part of a system that will use artificial intelligence and other technologies to identify fire and smoke. If they detect something, an alert will sound in the Cal Fire emergency command center near St. Helena.
Cal Fire has made a large investment into the ALERTCalifornia system, partnering with UC San Diego. There are 1,000 cameras across the state and Napa County is one of the test models. Cameras can see 60 miles during the day, and this can increase to 120 miles on clear nights, with the changes in the air. The system can differentiate among smoke, clouds and dust. A link to this camera system and other relevant weather data is available on the Lake Berryessa News website at: http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
This website was created by Doug Kunst. It is an amazing resource for Lake Berryessa fire cameras and weather. His business website is http://www.rntl.net/
Lake Berryessa Fire Alert Cameras
http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
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Real-Time Lake Level, Lake Capacity, Water Temperature
Solano County Water Agency
https://www.scwamonitoring.com/LakeBerryessa/
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Lake Detailed Historical Data
California Data Exchange Center
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/
Research historical data and create custom plots
Lake Berryessa Code: BER
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/sensorplots?staid=ber&dur_code=D
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Local Weather Stations (Weather Underground Network)
Skiers Cove (Below the Berryessa Highlands)
Skier Cove - KCANAPA228
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA228
East Side Road (Across from Big Island)
East Side Road, Lake Berryessa - KCALAKEB2
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCALAKEB2
Spanish Flat (Near the Spanish Flat Recreation Area)
Roger - KCASPANI1
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCASPANI1