The Rise Of Lake Oroville

This March 2, 2015 photo of Lake Oroville shows how the drought affected the lake's water level. But the recent surge of rain has risen the lake level significantly. (PAUL HAMES/DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
This March 2, 2015 photo of Lake Oroville shows how the drought affected the lake’s water level. But the recent surge of rain has risen the lake level significantly. (PAUL HAMES/DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

Considering how floored I was when I saw how dried out Lake Oroville had become a few years after I got to catch coho salmon there, this news was welcome relief!

From UPI:

California’s Lake Oroville reservoir has risen nearly 17 feet in the past 10 days as consistent rains continue to bring relief to the drought-stricken state.

California’s Department of Water Resources estimates the reservoir is holding 689.14 feet of water out of a capacity of 900. More rain is expected in the coming weeks, which could bring up to 30 more feet of water to Lake Oroville.

“This is excellent. This is what we need,” Kevin Wright , the Sierra Valley watermaster for Department of Water Resources, told KRCR 7 News. “We are not out of the drought … The lake has a long ways to go before it’s full. So, we still need to conserve water.”