DANGEROUS DEBRIS; LAKE LITTER CAUSING PROBLEMS FOR BOATERS.

Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Daily News Staff Writer

Quick turns and weaving through the water are common with most water sports, but at Pyramid Lake recently, tons of driftwood and debris on the surface have made skiing and boating even more challenging.

When regulars on the lake are asked to talk about the debris, their reply is always the same - a smirk, eye roll and head shake of recognition before launching into the problems they face on the water.

``You gotta hit 'em, miss 'em, dodge 'em, whatever you gotta do to get around them,'' said Dallas Russell, who was visiting recently with his children and several other teen-agers. ``A few weeks ago, when we went out in the morning, there was nothing in this lagoon at all. When we came back that afternoon, this whole area was full of stuff.''

While lake officials said they have not had any reports of injuries related to the debris, many boaters and personal-watercraft users complain of sticks in the hulls, and broken propellers and motors.

Officials from the Angeles National Forest Service said that while there is always going to be some debris in the water, this year's heavy winter rain brought more than the usual amount down Piru Creek, which feeds into the lake.

Crews have been out several times this year to clean up, and more are expected to arrive sometime this week, but the agency is having trouble keeping up with the demand.

``It's the worst I've ever seen,'' said Mike Wickman, the forest service's district ranger. ``But it's five times better now than it was (in March). We're chipping away at it, trying to get the debris off and get it above the high-water line.''

Lake visitors said the debris packed on the shoreline, around docks and on beaches is not made of just sticks and wood chips. These are logs, several feet in diameter and more than a dozen feet long.

``They're trees that fall in the water,'' said Robert Benbrooks, a teen from Thousand Oaks who brought his Jet Ski. ``In some spots, you just gotta putt-putt through it all.''

While return visitors said they've noticed an inordinate amount of debris on the water compared to other lakes, some said they weren't concerned about it.

Others said they had to think twice before coming back.

``If they want to make money this summer, they'd better clean it,'' said Brett Towry, a resident of Orange. ``It's dangerous.''

Towry said he and some friends have been camping in the area, and while they considered going elsewhere to ride personal watercrafts, they came back to Pyramid Lake anyway.

Officials at the Pyramid Lake Boat Rentals and Campgrounds said they've had many complaints about the debris over the last year. While they have a lease to provide the concessions and amenities on the lake, they are not responsible for the major upkeep of the lake itself.

Still, employees have been sent out to try to pick out some of the larger logs.

``It's not at the point that it clogs our ramps and beaches, but it gets pretty bad in some of the areas, especially in the main body of the lake,'' said Paul Cassarino, an employee and nearby resident.

``We try to stay on top of it,'' he said. ``There's always going to be debris in the lake; you can't help that. But it's been worse in the last year.''

Wickman said the forest service normally has the winter mess cleaned up in area lakes by April of each year, but the amount that washed down this year was just too much to handle.

He said part of the delay in cleaning was the result of several crews being sent out to fight fires in forests in Florida and Texas in the last few months.

Another issue is the fluctuation of the water each day. When the water in Pyramid Lake is pumped out each afternoon to Castaic Lake to generate power, debris stays on the shoreline and out of the water.

But when the water is pumped back in as part of the hydroelectric system, the waterline rises and the debris is pulled back out.

``It's also very difficult to corral that stuff because of the wind,'' Wickman said.

While he said the debris can be a problem, the issue has been given the ``only priority I can give it,'' considering the amount of work to be done and the staffing concerns of his department.

``People are told before they go on the lake that there is debris in there,'' he said. ``We've had calls about damaged props, but that occurs even when you don't have debris on the lake.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) (Ran in SAC Edition only) Abozar Sahaei, front, and Josh Carpenter must dodge debris that can damage the motors and propellers of their personal watercraft.

(2--Color) (Ran in SAC Edition only) Driftwood prevents more than one car at a time on the dock.

(3) (Ran in SAC Edition only) Justin Peltier, who runs concessions at the lake, shows some of the dangerous driftwood that plagues boaters.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News