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California Drought Is Starting to Hit Tourism

California's relentless dry season is beginning to dry up revenue in its popular lake and river tourism industry.

California's relentless drought is beginning to dry up revenue in its popular lake and river tourism industry. Marinas and boat ramps across the state are turning away customers, and even spots where water is still relatively plentiful say visitors are staying away, assuming things are worse than they are. Casualties abound from a three-year dry spell that also has wreaked havoc on California agriculture and prompted mandatory statewide restrictions on urban watering effective Aug. 1.

Los Angeles County officials have banned swimming in summer getaway Castaic Lake, citing dangers such as unexpected drop-offs in a lake now less than half-full. Boaters there report new hazards, too.

"There are humps and underwater gravel bars coming up out of nowhere," said Steve Goodman, a 31-year-old aerospace engineer from Castaic, Calif., who fishes there regularly.

At Don Pedro Lake near Modesto, Calif., which stands at about 45% capacity, the Moccasin Point Marina closed its boat-servicing operations in June due to low water levels.

At Lake Mendocino north of San Francisco, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July closed all four boat ramps and launches after the reservoir shrank to 35% of capacity. The number of visitors there so far this year is down 60% to 75% compared with the same time last year, said Mike Dillabough, chief of operations and readiness for the corps' San Francisco district. A spokeswoman at the California Department of Parks and Recreation said attendance figures at the state's inland waterways wouldn't be known until the summer season is over.

Daniel Luzer is GOVERNING's news editor.
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