Funding for Law Enforcement on Lake Tulloch Still a Hot Topic

Alternative revenues for the Calaveras County Sheriff Department to provide law enforcement for Lake Tulloch has brought some questions to the forefront of Copperopolis politics.

USACE (US Army Corps of Engineers), budgets funding at approximately $250k to provide law enforcement on Lake Hogan. EBMUD (East Bay Municipal Utilities District) budgets funding to provide law enforcement on their owned lakes, Pardee and Comanche. Tri Dam and Oakdale Irrigation along with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of Fish and Game, combined are 40% owners of Lake Tulloch and budget $0 to provide law enforcement on Lake Tulloch.

Susan Larson, Tulloch Coordinator for the Tri-Dam project, stated “Tri-Dam owns the power generators, and the dam and approximately 20% of the land along the shoreline and under the reservoir, while private property owners own approximately 60% of the lands, and the remainder of about 20% is owned by other governmental agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Fish & Game and Bureau of Land Management…the responsibility for law enforcement falls within the jurisdiction of the Counties because the primary ownership of land under the reservoir is privately owned” she pointed out that on the Tuolumne side of Lake Tulloch “the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors has adopted a Pollution Prevention Program, which provides money to fund boating inspection, boating safety, and money for law enforcement patrol.”

Previous District 5 Supervisor Russ Thomas contends that “Tri-Dam, which is made up of a partnership between Oakdale Irrigation Districts and Stockton East Irrigation Districts, probably should have a line item in their budget to contribute to law enforcement, but at this time, they do not.”

While in office Russ was pushing for what he termed a “Safety Fee” modeled after Bass Lake, a lake “similar to Lake Tulloch”  in which fees charges raise approximately $400 K per year for law enforcement. While Tri-Dam does not have a line item for law enforcement, according to Russ, they are in favor of a “Safety Fee” program. Russ states that Tri-Dam has “offered to pony-up about $80K to get the Tulloch Lake “Sticker” program started.” Under this agreement, “the first year, people would be issued a “free sticker” (essentially paid-for by Tri-Dam) but they would be put on notice that next year the $50 fee would be collected for one day’s use or the entire year.”

Many opposed to this program contend that they already pay tax dollars to fund law enforcement and feel as if they are being targeted again. Also many residents with watercraft live within homeowner associations which charge their own boating fee. One resident questioned the reality of a tag fee for his two kayaks and his paddle boat, “that’s $150 for the slowest and quietest vessels on the lake.”

Update 8-1-11 10:50 am
Correction of misquote:
Tuolomne County does not operate a pollution prevention program...Madera County (where Bass Lake is located) operates such a program.
We extend our apologizes for the incorrect quote.