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Board approves higher Cachuma Lake RV hookup fees; asks staff to study resident discounts and swimming access
Summary
The Board approved increases to RV full‑hookup fees at Cachuma Lake after staff said the changes are needed to help repay renovation debt service and cover higher operating and deferred‑maintenance costs; the board also asked staff to study resident discounts and the feasibility of swimming access.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on April 1 approved staff’s proposed fee increases for full‑hookup RV sites at Cachuma (Kachuma) Lake, a facility the county renovated with approximately $14 million of capital work to replace utilities, pads, restrooms and related infrastructure.
Departmental staff said the renovation created modern 50‑amp hookups, upgraded water and sewer lines, added Wi‑Fi and improved restrooms, and that the fee changes are meant to help cover increased debt service for the project, higher operating costs and deferred maintenance on county parks. Staff presented benchmarking data against comparable private and public RV parks and projected an occupancy‑adjusted revenue increase of roughly $570,000 annually under conservative assumptions, which would help cover a portion of $523,000 in projected debt service and higher operating costs.
Supervisor Nelson moved approval with a set of directions that the board approved: (1) adopt the proposed fee adjustments to take effect when the full‑hookup area reopens; (2) direct park staff to return within a year with options for a resident discount or local‑rate structure across county parks to prioritize local access; and (3) form a non‑Brown Act ad hoc between Supervisors LaVagnino and Hartman to explore the feasibility and permitting path for allowing body‑contact recreation (swimming) at Cachuma Lake, subject to any Bureau of Reclamation and water‑agency constraints. The board also asked staff to provide more precise occupancy and origin data for past years and to include outreach plans before launch.
Park staff reported that Kachuma historically sees roughly 30 percent of users from within Santa Barbara County and 70 percent from outside, with higher weekend occupancies and lower winter usage; they anticipate reopening the renovated full‑hookup area in May pending utility activation by the power provider. Staff also noted the lake’s operations are constrained by the Bureau of Reclamation, the Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board and water‑agency interests on decisions about body‑contact recreation.
The motion passed and staff will implement the new fees on opening and return on the resident‑rate study and the swimming feasibility work within the timeframes directed by the board.
