The old Lake Berryessa shoreline has been gone for awhile, but the new one hasn’t arrived.

With any luck, 2009 will see a new dawn for the popular recreation spot in eastern Napa County — and even some good news for residents of the remote area.

In 2008, most of the seven privately-run resorts on the Berryessa shoreline were shuttered at the end of decades-long contracts.

The Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the shoreline, ordered the removal of about 1,400 trailers from the shoreline. This is expected to make way for better access to the lake and more modern facilities, from hotels and restaurants to cabins and campsites.

The Pensus Group, an Arizona-based developer of lakeside marinas and resorts, won the contract to be the new concessionaire for five of the seven Berryessa resorts, including Rancho Monticello, Spanish Flat, Lake Berryessa Marina, Putah Creek and Steele Park.

At first, bureau officials were hopeful that the deal with Pensus could be signed by the summer. But June and July passed with no deals. Some of the resorts that stayed open at the lake had busy years, but, overall, the number of visitors was down and many local businesses suffered. 2008 was something of a lost year at the lake.

Bureau officials have not stated what is delaying the negotiations, only indicating they are complex. However, the bureau and former concessionaires have disagreed about the value of old equipment and infrastructure and who is responsible for addressing it, and some of these matters may have spilled into the Pensus talks.

In December, bureau officials announced a new 30-year deal with one of the other resorts, Pleasure Cove. A bureau spokeswoman said the deal is a good harbinger for the Pensus deal, which she said would be signed within 60 days.

If so, the new concessionaires will have ample time to gear up for the summer season at the lake.

Meanwhile, Pensus’ presence could start the ball rolling on upgrades to the water supply for locals at Berryessa Highlands, the residential area near Steele Park and Moskowite Corners.

The Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District, which includes property owners in the area, voted in 2007 to pay nearly $14 million for improvements to the drinking water supply and sewage treatment in the area.

The operator of Steele Park Resort would be on the hook for about $4 million of that total. But with the Pensus deal incomplete, NBRID officials have not issued the bonds that would start the improvements.

The NBRID has until 2012 to meet standards enforced by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Until it does, a moratorium bars construction of any new residences in Berryessa Highlands.