Clear Lake

For other places of this name, see Clear Lake (disambiguation).

Clear Lake is the largest (by area) freshwater lake wholly in California. It is in Lake County, California.

Clear Lake is 19 miles (30.6 km) long, 8 mi (12.8 km) wide at widest point, with surface area of 43,785 acres (177 km²). Average depth is 27 ft (8 m), maximum is 60 feet (18 m), lake elevation is 1318 feet (400 m) minimum, average water temp is 40 °F (4 °C) in winter and 76 °F (24 °C) in summer. Location 39 deg 03 min north, 122 deg 49 min west (per USGS).

The lake has many resorts, and is famous for bass, crappie, and catfish fishing. The residential areas around the lake have a mix of older houses and middle and upper middle class homes as well as some which can only be classified as mansions. The Southern part of the lake has an impoverished unincorporated settlement called "Southlake" which consists in large part of older smaller homes and fishing shacks. There are also a few apartment buildings in Lake County, but not many.

The income of residents of the county varies widely. Many wealthy people and retirees maintain residences near the lake, but many of these are empty for much of the year. Lake county is mostly agricultural, with a few tourist facilities and very little industry. Of all California counties it has one of the highest proportions of families that get AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children, often called "welfare").

Yolo County, California has historical water rights over the lake because the runoff was used for irrigation before other uses were established for the lake. This causes disputes. In winter, Yolo would like to use the lake for water storage, while the lake residents fear flooding. In summer, Yolo would like to divert water for irrigation, while residents want the lake to have a high water volume to increase its oxygen content and fishery. The water rights issues interfere with Lake county's plans to manage the lake and utilize the water. The water rights have since been contested, and new injunctions and compromises regarding the lake and creek levels, and the water needed for agriculture in Yolo County, have been put into effect.

There is no doubt that the lake has Eutrophication. On some days it stinks, and it almost always smells of algae. The cyanobacteria bloom due to long, hot days and the relative shallowness and warmth of the lake. The blooms form a mat. When the mat dies and rots, the smell lasts until rotting is complete, or the wind and currents turn over the lake, and move the mat away from the air.

Some authorities say that the lake is not now, and never has been, polluted. Core samples going back many years, taken by the Department of Agriculture in conjunction with the University California at Davis, prove that the cyanobacteria are natural parts of the food chain in the lake and the riparian zone which surrounds it. It's known that many indian settlements were near the lake, and the indians prized the lake for its large population of fish, which could not be supported without large quantities of algae.

Other authorities say that the eutrophication indicates a lack of oxygen caused because the lake was polluted by poorly managed sewage from local septic tanks, and unregulated spill from Southlake settlement's primitive sewage systems. When combined with diversion of water, the lake's oxygen content has declined far from its natural state. They cite historical records, including the name of the lake, to indicate that the changes are clearly caused by human settlement. The modern lake is far from clear.

There is a sewage treatment plant in the city of Clearlake (on the northern part of the lake). Some sewage is also diverted to the geothermal areas on Cobb Mountain. Neither of these release directly to the lake.

Use of sewage in geothermal areas has allegedly caused hundreds of earthquakes in the Anderson Springs/Cobb Mountain area (south of the lake) since 1996. The matter is being investigated to see if the increase in microquakes is natural.

The Clear Lake area also has problems with drug abuse. The county and city law enforcement agencies aggressively work to eradicate the problem.

See also: Lake Tahoe, Cache Creek.

Links

• Lake County website  (http://www.co.lake.ca.us/)
• Ample Charms of a Well-Fed Lake, by Richerson & Richerson (http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/Richerson/AmpleCharms.pdf)