Drought impacts boaters at Cachuma Lake

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - A drop in water levels and drought impacts on Cachuma Lake had crews extra busy Wednesday at the lake's marina.

Lorenzo Dover and his team spent part of the day moving the boat dock into deeper water.

It's now roughly 400 yards offshore, straight out from the HOOK'd Bar and Grill where visitors held tight to their hats and burgers in gusty winds.

Santa Barbara County's latest update, as of Tuesday, puts the water level at just above 46 feet. That's a drastic drop from two years ago.

"It's losing water really fast so in order for us to keep our rentals active, we've got to push it out into deeper water, just past the point there to the 85-foot shelf," said Lorenzo Dover, Lake Manager of Cachuma Marina. "So, now we're good to go all summer long. Come get your rental, you'll be good to go!"

Dover added, "Safety first, always."

The boat dock now looks like a floating island toward the middle of the lake. This is the farthest the dock has been pushed out in at least 10 years.

"It's terrible. Terrible. But, I don't know what we're gonna do about it. I mean, they're all down," said Nipomo resident, Joe Balint. "I'm a boater, too. This is particularly distressing."

Dover also pointed out that Wednesday's strong winds at the were "more random," coming from a direction they seldom do.

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