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A brand new regulation permits physique contact with the water at Santa Margarita Lake beginning Jan. 1, 2027, however the particulars have but to be labored out with San Luis Obispo County. The lake is seen right here on Sept. 2, 2026.
Swimmers will be allowed to dive into Santa Margarita Lake for the first time ever next year.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1253 into law, which empowered the county to open the lake to body contact on Jan. 1. But swimming likely won’t be allowed until the summer of 2027, according to the county.
The law could allow a range of new recreational uses, state Sen. John Laird said in a press release announcing the change, including “swimming, paddleboarding, windsurfing, sail or foil boarding, water access from the beach or shore, and body-contact fishing.”
It will be up to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to decide what new activities will be allowed or restricted in the lake, San Luis Obispo County Public Works Director John Diodati said.
Soon after the announcement, some people were excited about the prospect of swimming in the lake.
“It’d be a good lake to have a nice dip in, especially on those hot summer days,” San Luis Obispo resident James Valdez said while fishing on Tuesday.
But others worried that people would start water-skiing and wakeboarding at the lake — disturbing the peace.
“It’s a nightmare,” Lakewood resident Mike Byrum said while hitching his boat to his truck on Tuesday.
Swimming may soon be allowed at Santa Margarita Lake
Santa Margarita Lake was created by the construction of the Salinas Dam in 1941, according to county parks. Now, the reservoir supplies water to the city of San Luis Obispo.
People can already fish, boat, canoe and kayak on the lake — but so far, they haven’t been allowed to make body contact with the water.
Laird wrote the new law and pushed it through the state Legislature.
“Santa Margarita Lake is an incredible public resource, and advances in water treatment mean we can safely allow people to enjoy more of what the lake has to offer,” he said in the release.
The law also requires local officials to continue to monitor and treat the water according to state health standards.
“The city of San Luis Obispo will continue using microfiltration and disinfection to treat the water, with oversight from the State Water Resources Control Board,” the release said.
Swimming is allowed at other drinking water reservoirs in San Luis Obispo County, including Lopez Lake and Lake Nacimiento.
The Board of Supervisors will eventually hold a public meeting to vote on whether to expand recreational access to the lake.
Diodati said he expects the county to prohibit jet skis, wake surfing, water-skiing, wakeboarding, tubing “or other activity that causes shore erosion or impacts to existing uses.”
San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Heather Moreno celebrated the passage of the law, calling it “a win for our community.”
“It expands recreational opportunities at Santa Margarita Lake while protecting the water supply we all depend on,” she said in the release.
What activities should be allowed?
On Tuesday, a light breeze carried a hush over the lake — rustling the leaves in the trees and sending ripples across the water. A lone motorboat briefly interrupted the quiet as it puttered across the lake.
“That’s what’s so nice about this lake,” Lakewood resident William Hogue said. “It’s quiet.”
He drove to Santa Margarita Lake on Tuesday with his friend, Byrum, to practice for a fishing tournament. He hopes the lake will remain peaceful when the new law takes effect.
Both fishermen supported opening portions of the lake to swimming, but they urged the county to prohibit activities that create large wakes, like waterskiing.
“When you put wakeboard boats in a lake like this, it’s going to wake everybody out and be a catastrophe,” Byrum said.
Other visitors at the lake weren’t as concerned.
Paso Robles resident Amber Aguilera said she supports swimming at the lake. The lake would be busier, but that would bring in more revenue and allow the county to fix the road coming in to the park, she said.
“I think it’d be more good than bad,” she said.
San Luis Obispo resident James Valdez fishes for bass at Santa Margarita Lake about once a week. He also goes to Lake Nacimiento for fishing, pleasure boating and swimming, and Lopez Lake for wind surfing, boating and swimming.
“They’re all unique,” he said of the lakes.
He supports opening Santa Margarita Lake to swimming, he said.
“More folks would come and enjoy the lake,” Valdez said. “The kiddos could do their youthful activities and jump off the rocks.”
This story was initially printed September 4, 2026 at 9:00 AM.
Stephanie Zappelli
The Tribune
Stephanie Zappelli is the setting and immigration reporter for The Tribune. Born and raised in San Diego, they graduated from Cal Poly with a journalism diploma. When not writing, they take pleasure in enjoying guitar, studying and exploring the outside.
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