Lake Casitas is in jeopardy. One of the great resources in Ventura County could face some very serious issues in the near future. In the early 1950s, the federal government and people of western Ventura County joined together to provide a reliable water supply and flood protection to the city of Ventura and the Ojai Valley. The government built the dam and we, the ratepayers, were designated to oversee the administration of the project through an elected five-member board. Payment for the dam was spread over a number of years and the responsibility of the ratepayers. We have several years left to pay.

The lake holds about 250,000 acre-feet of water when full. We are about 90 percent full now. The lake provides not only great recreational opportunities (fishing, camping, hiking, bird-watching, etc.), but is habitat to more than 400 different species. It is also listed as one of the lakes that provides a "flyaway haven" for migrating geese and other birds.

In the late 1990s, the steelhead trout was listed as an endangered species. This listing, while noble in intent, has led to a confrontation between the district and the federal government over who pays for the extra water that will be needed to help the fish recover. Casitas gets about half the water in the lake by diverting water from the Ventura River that would otherwise go to the ocean via the Robles Diversion Dam. We can only divert when there are very heavy flows in the river. This happens when we have a very wet year.

The project was engineered for these diversions to fill the lake. The government has given us a "biological opinion" that says Casitas must now take 3,200 acre-feet less then our normal diversions.

Based on a 20-year drought forecast from the 1940s and 1950s, that actually happened, we have determined that our "safe yield" is around 20,000 acre-feet per year. The requirement limiting these diversions upsets our safe yield calculations and could lead to severe reductions in water availability in the future.

About five years ago, Casitas was forced to build a fish ladder around the Robles Diversion Dam. The ladder cost around $9 million to build. Casitas ratepayers paid about half of this amount. Cal Trout, a sport fishing and environmental group out of San Francisco, threatened suit if we did not build one. It was also instrumental in the election of two of the current board members. To date, we (Casitas) have spent more than $10 million in efforts to help the fish. We think there have been confirmed sightings of about 10 fish that may be steelhead or rainbow trout.

To complicate things more, Matilija Dam is going to be decommissioned in the next few years. No one I have talked to knows for sure where all of the silt behind the dam will go. Our chief engineer thinks it could have an adverse effect on the Robles Diversion Dam. It could also harm any fish that may be in the river.

All of the board agrees that complying with the order to help the fish is necessary. What we don't agree on is who should pay. Because of this, the prior board filed suit against the government, asking that the government participate in this cost. A federal judge has ruled that the government's limiting of water from the river to the lake is a "regulatory taking," rather than a constitutional property right, which makes it more difficult to win a judgment.

The question before us now is should we appeal this decision. An open meeting will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Oak View Community Center. The board would like as much public input as possible so that we may make an informed decision as to the continuation of the suit.

Bill Hicks, of Ventura, is on the board of directors for Division 1 of the Casitas Municipal Water District.