Water agency floats fee increase for Bullards Bar

Pushing a boat into Bullards Bar Reservoir, or reserving a place to camp on its shores, could cost more as soon as this summer, with the Yuba County Water Agency discussing possible fee adjustments.

But agency officials point out no final decision has been made, and public comment will be taken before anything happens.

"It could very well happen next year," said Tib Belza, a member of the YCWA's board of directors, pointing out the process also involves discussions with the U.S. Forest Service, which owns much of the land around the reservoir.

The talks are so preliminary, water agency officials and board members haven't discussed exact prices yet, or how they'd be charged. YCWA General Manager Curt Aikens said to start, it might make the most sense to limit fees for using the reservoir itself to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Camping fees now are generally $22 a night, not including reservation fees, but Aikens said those rates haven't changed in four years.

And there's no charge at all for parking or putting a boat in the water, which differentiates Bullards Bar from similar reservoirs at Folsom Lake, Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville.

Launching a boat at Oroville, for example, costs $5, and the state charges the same amount at Folsom as well as $5 or $10 to park.

Aikens said his agency has to look at fees for Bullards Bar because right now, fee revenues bring in only about half the expenses of operating it.

"The rest is subsidized by other sources," he said. "We need the fees to cover costs as they increase."

Bill Graham, office manager at the reservoir's main vendor, Emerald Cove Marina, said getting word out about possible fee increases will be partially up to his business.

But because the fees being discussed are common elsewhere, he said, he doubts implementing them will drive many lake users away.

"For a nominal charge, there's not going to be a big difference," he said, adding many visiting wakeboarders and water skiers, for example, prefer Bullards Bars to Folsom Lake anyway because of water quality and scenery.

The last few years have seen a boost in the reservoir's numbers, with about 3,500 reservations last year, Graham said. Reservations for this year begin this month.

Though it could happen this year, Aikens said, a decision about fees at Bullards Bar isn't imminent.

"We've had some discussions. We need to have some more discussions," he said.

CONTACT Ben van der Meer at bvandermeer@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4786. Find him on Facebook at /ADbvandermeer or on Twitter at @ADbvandermeer.