Thanks to all our members, 2009 was a high water mark (pardon the phrase) for BLHA membership with a total of 265 members. Please join us again for 2010. Your continued support makes possible the maintenance of the lake, the beach and the picnic ground areas.

As you may know or may read in other articles in this issue, BLHA is planning to "excavate" silt from several coves while the lake level is down. Even though this type of removal is much less expensive than the "dredging" operations that have been used in the past, the removal of an estimated 7,000 cubic yards will cost considerably more than has been saved over the past 16 years in the BLHA Silt Fund.

Yes, there have been developers who have silted our lake, and the BLHA has worked with the city and county (and even threatened lawsuits) to stop these "point sources" of silt. We've even forced some of these developers to pay for silt removal from the lake. But as our watershed becomes more developed, these sources are diminishing and other concerns take center stage. There are many storm water runoff issues within the city that need to be addressed (and we're working with the city on that also), but even if there were no "point sources" what-so-ever, the lake is still subject to the process (albeit slower) of natural siltation.

This points out the fact that we simply are not collecting and saving enough money year over year to remove the silt that will naturally accumulate in our lake over time. Your BLHA board has two proposals to help remedy this situation. First we are proposing a stepped increase in the BLHA dues, a $25 per year increase in 2011, and again in 2013 – with all the increase going into the silt fund. These increases will double the amount that is collected each year, from $12,500 to $25k per year (assuming 250 members annually). We are also planning to propose an annual watercraft fee of $50 per registered boat owner, regardless of the number of boats owned. Similar to the tax on gasoline that is used to maintain roads, this fee will target the actual users of the lake. We are conservatively estimating that this fee will bring in another $5,000 per year. While it is difficult to predict how much it will cost to remove silt from the lake 10-15 years from now, we feel that these two measures will put the BLHA in much better shape financially when the next dredging operation is required.

Now, of course, these two measures will have to be ratified by the membership at the January membership meeting – please plan to attend the meeting on January 9, 2010. And remember – only active members can vote. Membership notices (annual bills) will be going out soon, so return your check as soon as possible – and join BLHA for 2010. (You can now use PayPal to join online. Visit www.berkeleylake.org and click the "Members" link.)