Fish Camp members warn short‑term rentals could overwhelm water supply; planning and Firewise updates offered

Fish Camp residents and planning staff flagged growing short‑term rental activity and an aging water system as linked risks. Planning staff said a county short‑term rental study showed a roughly 9% share of county housing units are short‑term rentals and noted literature suggesting community structure begins to change above about 12%. The planning commission did not adopt staff recommendations for regulation, and the Board of Supervisors did not act on the proposals.

Several council members warned that additional vacation rentals and future development tied to the SilverTip project could overwhelm the Fish Camp Mutual Water Company. Members reported the system has only one well currently producing sustained flow near 29.5 gallons per minute and that a recent well and infrastructure repair required a $3,500 assessment per hookup; drilling and equipping a deeper well was described as likely to cost on the order of a quarter‑million dollars.

Planning staff outlined options discussed in the meeting: (1) amending the Fish Camp specific plan to include a vacancy threshold or other regulation; (2) community petition to ask planning staff to pursue amendments; or (3) sustained public comment at Board of Supervisors hearings to press the issue. Staff advised that amending the specific plan is a formal process that would require planning‑commission and board consideration. Council members asked staff to compile data on the number of licensed short‑term rentals in Fish Camp and suggested annual renewals or conditional permits as possible procedural checks.

Separately, Firewise program leads said a community Firewise application had been submitted and was returned with requests for map and detail revisions. The council urged county staff to follow up so the community can secure possible insurance discounts and to move the application forward.