Records Trace Years of Noncompliance as Tecopa Hot Springs Operator Approaches County Deadline

Since issuing a formal 30-day notice last month demanding that the operator remedy longstanding deficiencies, Inyo County officials have largely refused to answer any questions about the status of the Tecopa Hot Springs Pools and Campground. Instead, inquiries from this publication have been treated as formal public records requests — a move that effectively allows the County to delay its responses until the statutory deadline expires.

If our timeline is accurate, that deadline aligns exactly with the concessionaire’s own 30-day window to cure deficiencies: June 29. In other words, the same clock is now ticking for both the County’s answers and the operator’s future. As of publication, one day remains in the County’s 30-day cure period.

Locals are awaiting signs that the Tecopa Hot Springs Conservancy LLC, the private operator of the county-owned Tecopa Hot Springs Campground, will make an attempt to meet their contractual obligations following years of documented code violations, unpermitted construction, and infrastructure failures.

However, internal County records requested after the cure notice was issued show mounting evidence that the site has long been mismanaged—raising questions about why enforcement took so long.

In a quiet but telling move, the concessionaire has removed all remaining glamping cabins (pictured above) from the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and contacted trailer owners to retrieve their vehicles from the site. The cabins, along with building materials, have been moved to a property on Bob White Way in Tecopa Heights.

To many, this appears less like an effort to fix violations and more like a withdrawal from the responsibilities outlined in the lease. County officials have previously stated they remain open to continued partnership—if the operator shows genuine intent to comply—but no such effort has been made public.

Privately, representatives of the Tecopa Hot Springs Conservancy LLC have told local residents that the County’s expectations are “unfair,” reportedly citing $400,000 in required repairs. That figure appears nowhere in official County correspondence or documentation provided thus far. Meanwhile, the most concrete action the Conservancy has taken has been to dismantle and clear out the very structures—unpermitted cabins and trailers—that sparked years of regulatory concern.

Newly released internal communications, obtained by TecopaCabana through a public records request, reveal that County departments had documented serious concerns about the facility’s management and safety record for years prior to this ultimatum.

Power Problems Reveal Underlying Compliance Crisis

Cabins have been removed from the Northwest side of the campground.

From 2020 through 2023, internal records paint a consistent picture of a deteriorating facility plagued by chronic safety issues and deferred maintenance. In one 2020 email, County building inspectors described the electrical infrastructure at the campground as a ‘patched, overburdened mess,’ noting it had been modified repeatedly without sufficient oversight. This unstable system powers not only the campground but also nearby County buildings, including the Tecopa Community Center and Library. During one routine power outage, the backup generator meant to sustain the water system failed to remain operational—prompting a deeper investigation. County officials later determined the problem wasn’t the generator itself, but rather that the entire electrical load it was attempting to support had grown too large due to years of unpermitted additions, making the system unsafe and unreliable.

To validate their concerns and explore safe upgrades, the County brought in a private electrical contractor to consult on the system. After inspecting the site, the contractor confirmed that the main electrical panel had deteriorated beyond safe use and needed full replacement. In addition, they advised that the sprawling, overburdened system had grown too complex and would benefit from reconfiguration, with separate service lines installed for key facility areas such as the campground, bathhouse, and County buildings. The contractor also noted that repeated patchwork fixes and ad hoc expansions had created a system vulnerable to failure and fire risk.

In July 2024, correspondence between Southern California Edison (SCE) and a private electrical contractor hired by the County highlighted ongoing barriers to infrastructure improvements. After the first electrical panel proposed for the Tecopa RV project was rejected, Pahrump-based contractor D&J Electrical submitted a new 400-amp panel for review. SCE representative Christian Hayden responded that the second panel also failed to meet the utility’s standards, directing the contractor to consult SCE’s Electrical Service Requirements manual for approved configurations. “I apologize as I know this can be a hassle at times,” Hayden wrote, underscoring the technical challenges of modernizing a system long plagued by substandard work.

Sewer, Water, and Safety Failures

Tecopa Hot Springs Campground, with County facilities in background, May 2025

Starting in 2021, concerns also extended to water and sewer systems. “The campground was making money off transient RV dumping,” wrote Deputy Public Works Director Christopher Cash, “but that service was flooding the County’s wastewater treatment pond and introducing chemicals that impair the treatment process.” He also flagged repeated blockages in sewer lines the concessionaire was supposed to maintain and noted that the campground’s water supply system also fed the Tecopa Community Center, making the need for proper maintenance even more urgent.

Tyson Sparrow, the County’s Technical Building Official, and other staff confirmed that multiple “glamping” cabins built on site were constructed without permits or BLM authorization. In November 2023, Sparrow wrote: “Yes, those cabins will have to go, they do not meet any kind of code whatsoever. Ryan did a ton of illegal electrical, plumbing, mechanical, on and on at that place.” 

In another correspondence, Sparrow wrote, “Ryan was supposed to get with us and try to legitimize the work he performed without the benefit of a permit.” 

He noted that when prior enforcement was attempted, the County pulled back out of fear that it would drive the operator away. “Well,” he added, “it looks like he bailed anyway.”

Former Assistant County Administrator, now Deputy County Administrator Meaghan McCamman responded, referring to Paul Barnes, managing partner of the Conservancy, who continued on after Ryan’s departure, “Paul is great to work with and I *think* he wants to do the right thing.”

But she echoed the concern, writing, “I told [Paul] I was going to make him get permits or tear them down, but I don’t think we should even try for the permits until we see if the BLM is going to even let us have them,” she wrote. 

Flow-Through Pools Under Scrutiny

Tecopa Hot Springs Campground, women’s hot springs bathing area.

The campground’s historic flow-through hot spring pools have also drawn scrutiny from Inyo County Environmental Health officials, who have raised concerns about the site’s ability to meet California’s microbiological water quality standards. Without up-to-date documentation of inflow and outflow rates or evidence of a functioning disinfection system, the facility may not qualify as a compliant flow-through bathing establishment under state code.

“We have nothing from Tecopa Hot Springs,” wrote Sparrow, in a 2023 email exchange. He noted that prior attempts to bring the operator into compliance had stalled, and that the status of key infrastructure remained undocumented. “This is a sticky one, but it needs to be resolved.”

The internal communications, shared among Environmental Health and County administrators, reveal longstanding confusion about both the condition of the facility and who—if anyone—was responsible for overseeing repairs. While some County staff had hoped to bring in an outside engineer to assess the pools, no follow-through appears in the record.

McCamman wrote to Barnes in November 2023, “Hey Paul, After our meeting last week, Inyo County is thinking we may hire a consultant to help us find a path forward for the hot spring pools in meeting microbial standards. We have worked before with this engineering firm from SoCal who helped us find a resolution on another nearby hot springs that was having trouble meeting code requirements. We are proposing that the County cover the cost of this.” 

Missteps and Missed Opportunities

Despite these issues, the Conservancy has made multiple attempts to introduce new money-making amenities. In 2023, Barnes proposed a family-friendly coed pool that would allow bathing suits—currently prohibited under County Ordinance 1024. “There does not seem to be a lot of wiggle room on this one,” McCamman replied. She noted that not only would Environmental Health have to approve such a facility, but BLM would also need to sign off before any progress could be made.

In January 2025, the County rejected a proposal by the Conservancy to add a miniature golf course, citing both the BLM lease limitations—the facility sits on federal land—and the operator’s failure to complete required upgrades.

McCamman wrote to Barnes, “County Administration has regretfully become aware of multiple ongoing infractions at THSC which are of significant concern. Further, some of the improvements to the existing infrastructure that should have already been completed under the existing lease have not been completed or even started. Until THSC management takes serious action to correct these issues, the County is not in a position to authorize or support any additional construction or new uses on the property.”

From Deadlines to Departure

Glamping cabins have been moved to Bob White Way in Tecopa Heights, June 2025

The 2021 concessionaire agreement—set to run through 2031—laid out a clear list of responsibilities: maintain restrooms and plumbing, install ADA pathways, stabilize electrical hookups, test and report water quality, and keep the grounds in a clean, safe condition. By July 2024, a County inspection documented numerous violations: unsanitary restrooms, improperly connected utility systems, derelict RVs, and the unpermitted glamping cabins.

Further, trailers remained connected to power during seasonal closures, and critical improvements mandated under the contract were not getting done, including:

  • Repair and replacement of campground restrooms and plumbing
  • Addition of shower facilities
  • Stabilization of RV electrical ports and removal of ground fault interrupters (removal was mandated by law in a 1996 California Pool Code regulation)
  • Installation of ADA-compliant paved pathways to bathhouses
  • Placement of picnic tables and metal fire rings in Section D campsites
  • Plumbing upgrades such as backflow devices on dump stations
  • Lowering paper towel dispensers in accessible bathrooms
  • Daily water quality testing and submission of weekly reports via County portal

Taken together, these failures paint a troubling picture of neglect that goes beyond mere oversight. For a public asset so deeply tied to Tecopa’s identity, recreation, and tourism economy, the question now is not only whether the current operator can cure these breaches in time, but whether the County will secure the commitment, funding, and expertise needed to protect the future of these beloved springs for everyone who depends on them.


Comments

One response to “Records Trace Years of Noncompliance as Tecopa Hot Springs Operator Approaches County Deadline”

  1. Sandy Valley Neighbor Avatar
    Sandy Valley Neighbor

    Terrific job in killing off off the operator of the campground. Contrary to the assertions in the article about “money making amenities”Based upon the RFP that Inyo County has just put out that there will not be a serious candidate to run the campground.

    The article got one thing right. “For a public asset so deeply tied to Tecopa’s identity, recreation, and tourism economy, the question now . . . whether the County will secure the commitment, funding, and expertise needed to protect the future of these beloved springs for everyone who depends on them.” I know many of us will look forward to your application to ensure that the campground is run correctly at the substantial capital costs that it will require.

    https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofinyoca/projects/175848

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