Water Revival: Major NorCal Reservoirs are Currently Filled to the Brim
The winter of 2019 has singlehandedly revived California from a 7-year drought and the major reservoirs of Northern California are showing an incredible resurgence compared to years past.
The Department of Water Resources released their California reservoir water numbers yesterday, and it shows that the four major NorCal reservoirs are historically full. Folsom Lake has the most water with 113 percent of historical average, while Shasta Lake comes in at 106 percent, Lake Oroville measures at 103 percent and Trinity Lake sits at 99 percent.
The water revival in California is nothing short of spectacular. The state has seen a number of serious issues arise from its 7-year drought, with water storage coming second to wildfires. The NorCal lakes currently full to the brim and water storage won’t be an issue in 2019.
On Lake Oroville, the water is so high that Department of Water officials may even have to use the brand-new $1 billion Oroville Dam spillway, which has become a controversial talking point in Butte County since its collapse in 2017.
Meanwhile, Shasta Lake officials have increased outflows on the Shasta Dam to 25,000 CFS. Water flows on Folsom Dam seeing the same massive 25,000 CFS flows.
This water storage will bring back much needed tourism to these reservoirs during the summer months. Specifically Shasta Lake, which saw devastating wildfires surround the lake in 2018, is set to see tremendous boating tourism in 2019.