The crisis at Lake Berryessa is about boat ramps and contracts and government agencies.

But there are human consequences to the troubles at the lake, which is on the verge of entering its second consecutive visitor year with inadequate services for the 1.5 million expected to come up to boat, relax and enjoy the scenery.

Tracy Renee, who joined a Register editorial board meeting last week along with Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon and Bureau of Reclamation district official Mike Finnegan, has lived in Berryessa Highlands for 23 years. She raised her three children there, and said the lake is “like my heaven,” a respite before and after long days running a business in Vallejo. Here is what she told us about the situation from her perspective:

• One of the casualties at the lake is tiny Capell Valley Elementary School. As families that worked at some of the several closed resorts left, Capell lost students.

“My kids went to Capell School,” said Renee. “Capell, to me , is part of the community. It’s where kids meet each other. It’s where adults meet each other.”

The long-term prospects for Capell are uncertain for reasons greater than the lake fiasco. Both it and Wooden Valley Elementary may be closed by school district officials next year because they are not cost-efficient. But the loss of vibrancy at the lake struck another blow against Capell.

• The legal clashes, one between the Bureau of Reclamation and the owners of the trailers that were based at the resort for decades; the other between the bureau and former resort operators.

The bureau prevailed in both disputes, forcing the mobile home owners to remove their personal  property — though hundreds have not complied – and denying compensation to resort operators for installation of roads retaining walls and other features they built while running their businesses.

“On the lawsuits,” Renee said, “I see both ides of that.”

Renee said that if she were a resort operator, she would have had a “heart attack” if presented with news that she’d receive no compensation for her investment in the property, even though all operators were clearly on long-term leases. “Now,” she said, “you walk away with nothing.”

As for the trailers, she said she understand why the mobile home owners would fight the eviction, but isn’t sympathetic about their refusal to accept the outcome. “Get out,” she said. “Quit whining.”

• Renee said the closure of at least four resorts this year could wreak havoc. “How many of those 1. 5 million (annual visitors) have no idea the resorts are going to be closed?” she asked.

The county is asking the same thing, and Supervisor Dillon said she is working with the bureau, Napa County Sheriff’s Department, firefighters and others to come up with a plan to salvage the summer. While the effort is designed to curb the negative impact of visitors overwhelming the limited facilities, it will have a huge effect on lakeside business and the quality of life of residents.