Everyone,

We need to show up at the MWD meeting next week the 16th of October at 11am. The MWD will set the rules for Diamond Valley Lake. The rules will used by other water agencies to set boating rules on their lake.

Take the day off and meet me at the Del Mar fairgrounds at 9am. Same parking lot as the Fred Hall Show.

Will you be able to say "I was there to save fishing is Southern California" or will you say "I was too busy".

Jim Thompson

My letter to MWD.

October 8, 2001
Mr. Phillip Pace, Chairman
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
P.O. Box 54153
Los Angeles, CA 90054

Mr. Pace,

I’m writing this letter as a concerned citizen and the former President and Political Action Committee Chairman of the San Diego Council of Bass Clubs. Our site is www.basscouncil.com. My goal is to provide you with some information that I feel is very relevant, regarding your upcoming decision on October 16, 2001 that addresses what type of boating to allow on Diamond Valley Lake (DVL).

I’m sure that you have received many letters concerning what type of boating should and should not be allowed on DVL. Let me point out that I have been involved for the last seven years with DVL, the MTBE ban and CARB labeling program. During my second year at the council, I remember very clearly DVL representatives attending our monthly meeting, promoting how we would be able to use DVL and even going as far as asking us to poll our members as to what type of fish to put into the lake.

The word I’m receiving now is DVL will be off limits to fishing and boating. I know that the environmentalist have some extreme views, but I would hope that you and the MWD would use logic and proof to make such a drastic decision.

Everyone is trying to push the MWD into making a decision without a stick of proof. On the other hand, the data I’m providing you is based on years of documented proof, 75 years of lake use and the law.

I would ask that you, Mr. Pace, take the following information into account before you make a decision that will affect millions of water users, hundreds of thousands of boaters, millions of fishermen, the hundreds of thousands of working people that are employed by the fishing industry and even children that will no longer be able to go fishing. As you can see, your decision in this matter is much bigger than you or I.

a. We have used outboard motors on the San Diego City lakes for over 75 years without any problems or concerns. Only since the addition of MTBE into the gas has using an outboard been a problem. That points directly at MTBE as the problem, not fishing, boating or even two stroke motors.

b. Governor Davis signed a law that mandates MTBE no longer be used in California after January 01, 2003. MTBE will not be in use when DVL is open.

c. Over 200 boats a day use a lake less than 900 acres in size on San Diego City lakes. If the following statement that environmentalists use were true “The average daily outboard use on a lake is 7 hours, 20 gallons of gas and combust 75 percent of it's fuel” 1000 gallons of unburned fuel would be placed in the lake daily. 1000 gallons of unburned gas added to a small lake daily would make the lake a toxic dump. The real average daily outboard use for fisherman is, 45 minuets, 3 gallons of gas and a 95 to 99 percent combustion rate. Fishermen use an electric trolling motor or anchor 95 percent of the time they are on the lake. To further dispute the false alarms of the environmentalists, San Diego lakes that allow boating have some of the purest and cleanest water in the country and the lakes are bursting with fish and wildlife.

d. Older two strokes with carburetors meet the EPA 2006 requirements above idle.

e. It does not cost anymore to treat drinking water from lakes that allow boating use than those that do not.

f. The water source for DVL allows recreational boating use. What difference does it make if we use DVL for boating and fishing? You will have to treat the water the same if boating is allowed or not.

g. MTBE levels in the lakes will fall and dissipate after MTBE is removed from the gas. This is a key issue. MTBE is in the gas and not in the oil so, not allowing 2-stroke motors makes no sense. 4-strokes and EFI engines will still put MTBE into the water the same as 2-strokes.

h. Allow continued use of 2-strokes. The best way to get everyone to buy new motors is allow them continued use of older ones. If you discriminate against the 2-strokes we can not trade them in for newer and better motors. In time, the old motors will be taken out of service and new ones will be placed into service.

As you can clearly see, with the information I have provided, there is no reason to ban outboard use in DVL. The proof is in the 75 year history of San Diego City Lakes.

Please, schedule me for a 20 minute block of time to speak at the MWD meeting on the 16th of October.

Respectfully,

James M. Thompson