News Release Archive

Lake Berryessa’s Pope Creek Bridge Waterway Closed to All Watercraft on Holiday Weekends

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, MP Region Public Affairs Officer, 916-978-5100, 05/23/2012 16:31

For Release: May 23, 2012

NAPA, Calif. – The Bureau of Reclamation would like to remind those visiting Lake Berryessa of the seasonal holiday closures of the Pope Creek Bridge waterway. Beginning Thursday, May 24, for the Memorial Day holiday, the waterway in the surrounding areas of Pope Creek Bridge will be closed to all motorized and non-motorized watercraft. In addition to the Memorial Day holiday, it is also closed during the Independence Day and Labor Day holiday weekends. The area will be reopened to watercraft on the Tuesday after each holiday. The closed areas are designated by buoys.

Reclamation and the Napa County Sheriff’s Office are working together to prevent unsafe conditions which are a result of the congestion from thousands of visitors during holidays at the Pope Creek Bridge waterway area. Overcrowding on boats, drownings, disorderly conduct, offensive behavior, underage drinking, and assaults have occurred. These unsafe activities on the holiday weekends will be a security focal point for Reclamation and the Napa County Sheriff’s Office. They will especially watch around the Pope Creek Bridge where there have been deaths and severe injuries due to visitors jumping off high rocks near the bridge. It is illegal to jump off the bridge and high rocks in the area and violators will be cited. Signs are posted warning visitors of the danger and violations. The gates at Pope Creek parking lot will be closed and locked by 9 p.m.

                                    Pope Creek Bridge Waterway Summer Time Holiday Closures

Memorial Day: 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29
Independence Day: 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10
Labor Day:1 p.m. on Thursday, August 30, to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, September 4

For additional information, please contact Acting Park Manager Jeff Laird, Lake Berryessa Field Office, at 707-966-2111 or e-mail jlaird@usbr.gov.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

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