Lake Berryessa News
September 14, 2026
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Lake Berryessa Statistics (9/14/26)
Lake Berryessa water level has now dropped to 429.5 feet - 11.5 feet below Glory Hole - typical for this time of year.
The lake output is averaging about 400 cfs (793 A-F per day) due to lower irrigation requirements.
Lake capacity is now at 1,360,230 Acre-Feet or 87.6%.
The recent cool air temperatures lowered surface water temperature to 75 degrees.
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Below: Fire Cam on Berryessa Peak looking at Big Island this morning at 10 AM.
https://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
https://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/
9/11/2001 ---> 9/14/2026
September 11 + 3 - Where were you?
It's hard to believe that it's been 25 years and 2 days since that terrible moment. My son Chris lived four blocks from the twin towers and used the post office there - luckily not that day. Evan had just started college at American University in Washington, DC. I had walked around the Pentagon a week before the attack and had photographed the helicopter pad, so I recognized the blast hole there shown below.
There are many 9/11 25th anniversary memorial stories out there this weekend. Here's a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner from the 2016 memorial event performed by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, 9/11 Memorial, 2016.
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Canada remembers too. Canada safely diverted and landed 224 to 250 civilian aircraft carrying nearly 33,000 stranded passengers at 17 airports across the country during Operation Yellow Ribbon following the closure of U.S. airspace on September 11, 2001.
Canada responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks through massive humanitarian airlift operations, deep continental security overhauls, and military deployment to Afghanistan.
Towns across Canada—most famously Gander, Newfoundland—opened schools, homes, and community centers to feed and shelter thousands of unexpected international travelers.
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In the age of AI, this poem is a bit dated,
but still funny to many of us "old folks" who were there at the beginning.
Dr. Seuss as Technical Writer
align="left">If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.
If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,
then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!
If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!
When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risc,
Then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM
Quicky turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom!
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What's happening to Lake Berryessa? Does anyone in D.C. care?
Usually The Lake Berryessa News reports on politics that affects the future of our lake community. But watching the latest shenanigans out of Washington brought up serious concerns about the lake's future, and some childhood memories of going to the circus. I remember the first few times I saw the "Clown Car" which amazed me - but I soon figured it out. It also reminded me that the fate of Lake Berryessa is partly embroiled in this mess.
The clown car routine originated during the 1950s in the Cole Bros. Circus. Circus performer Bob Strehlau, known as Juggles the Clown, is credited with creating the stunt. Strehlau felt that animal acts, particularly horses, were getting more attention than the clowns.
Because automobiles were replacing horses as common transport, he decided to use a tiny car instead of an animal to stage a comedic group entrance. Workers strip out all seats, door panels, headliners, and interior barriers to the trunk. The open interior allows between 14 and 21 performers and their soft props to squeeze inside.
The term "clown car cabinet" became a critical label used by political analysts and media figures to describe Donald Trump’s second-term administration picks, which critics argue prioritize personal loyalty over traditional qualifications and deep experience. Trump skipped the usual lengthy background checks and vetting processes for many nominees.
He chose figures expected to follow orders blindly rather than experts with job suitability. Several picks came from media or non-traditional political backgrounds rather than specialized government agencies. Nominations like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services and Pete Hegseth for Defense drew intense public scrutiny. Public outcry and reports of administration missteps have continued to grow. Several high-profile officials faced swift removals or resignations amid mounting scandals and administrative stress.
The country was warned about something called "Project 2025" long before the last election. Several high-ranking members and cabinet-level officials in Donald Trump’s administration have documented ties, contributions, or authorship roles in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 blueprint, despite Trump publicly distancing himself from the plan during his campaign. But he then appointed key cabinet and cabinet-level figures with ties to the radical right organization. You probably recognize some of he people below:
Russell Vought (Office of Management and Budget): Vought served as a co-author and primary architect of Project 2025, writing the chapter focused on expanding executive power over federal agencies.
Brendan Carr (Federal Communications Commission): Carr authored the specific FCC chapter in the Project 2025 policy guide, focusing on big tech and media regulations.
John Ratcliffe (Central Intelligence Agency): Ratcliffe is listed as a contributor to the project's intelligence community section.
Tom Homan (Border Czar): Homan is listed as an overall contributor who aided in the development and writing of the immigration and border enforcement sections.
Peter Navarro (Trade Advisor): Navarro wrote the trade policy chapter outlining increased tariffs within the Project 2025 framework.
Stephen Miller (White House Staff): Miller advised the project on immigration and executive power through his organization, America First Legal.
Doug Burgum (Secretary of the Interior): Cabinet member key to deciding the fate of Lake Berryessa's future, especially Camp Margaritaville's request to have a longer contract term to continue their development at Steele Canyon Campground.
Burgum won the 2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election in a landslide. He was reelected by a wide margin in 2020. In June 2023, Burgum launched a campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He ended his candidacy in early December 2023, and became an advisor on the Trump campaign's energy policy.
As Secretary of the Interior, he oversaw the Trump administration's crackdown on wind power, while promoting coal-fired power, expanded drilling on federal lands, and expanded metals extraction from federal lands and wildlife refuges. In 2026, Burgum announced that U.S. taxpayers would pay multiple energy companies, including a French company, nearly $2.6 billion to stop plans to build wind farms in the United States
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Five Lake Berryessa resorts are open.
Spanish Flat Campground: https://campspanishflat.com/
Steele Canyon Campground: https://campsteelecanyon.com/
Pleasure Cove Marina: https://goberryessa.com/
Markley Cove Resort: https://markleycove.com/
Putah Canyon Campground: https://royalelkparkmanagement.com/putah-canyon
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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