Panel Split on Expanding Lake Casitas Recreation

After four months of often contentious discussion, a citizens committee remains split over new recreational uses that should be allowed at Lake Casitas. But so far there is more support for extra boating than for opening the lake to swimmers.

Adding recreational uses at the popular lake in the often-sweltering Ojai Valley appears certain. But the divided group’s inability to reach a consensus over such key “body contact” uses as swimming will leave plenty of debating room when the Casitas water board accepts the group’s findings at a daylong meeting Saturday in Ventura.

“The vast majority of the people do feel there should be expanded recreational opportunities at the lake,” said Bill Hicks, president of the Casitas Municipal Water District Board of Directors.

And, Hicks added, as long as that can be accomplished without hurting the water supply or the lake ecosystem, the board will support expanded activities.

“What we’re hoping to do [Saturday] is come to a general agreement,” he said.

Any final decisions about the lake, which provides drinking water for about 60,000 people from mid-Ventura to the Santa Barbara County line, will not be adopted until the board’s Dec. 10 meeting at the earliest, Hicks said.

But Saturday’s board meeting will be a necessary preliminary step, with board members wading through three reports from a 20-member committee.

One report, with signatures of 13 committee members, recommends relaxing boat restrictions to allow canoes, kayaks, small sail boats and paddle boats to be used by approved clubs. In addition, the group advocates building a swimming pool and possibly a skateboard park and water slide, but opposes allowing swimming in the lake.

“We have not been convinced that the many dilemmas body contact would cause have reasonable, viable or cost-effective solutions,” the group’s seven-page report concludes.

A second report signed by the remaining seven committee members suggests allowing the same kind of boats as the first, but urges that an environmental impact report be conducted before such activities as swimming, water-skiing or wind surfing are permitted.

The third report, signed by five of the seven committee members who signed the second report, calls for water-skiing to be allowed at the lake in addition to expanded boat use.

“I think we’ve pointed out to the board how intense and how polarized some groups are,” said Peter See, committee co-chairman. “It really is a no-win political situation for them.”

Whatever the decision, changes in recreational offerings at the lake are some time away.

State law requires special legislation to be enacted before body contact with reservoirs containing drinking water is allowed. Moreover, the $9.3-million water treatment plant that began operating in September and precipitated the debate must run for at least a year before health officials permit body contact recreation.

The meeting goes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Ventura City Hall, Conference Room E.