Shasta Lake Is Now Facing Its Second Worst Drought Year On Record

California Drought Lowers Shasta Lake To Its Second Lowest Record. 2014 Is Now The Third Lowest Recorded Year. 

 

Above: the California drought takes its toll on the Sacramento River just north of the modern 1939 Union Pacific Railroad Trestle at Charlie Creek. Looking south down the Sacramento River arm of Shasta Lake. This photograph was taken on September 30, 2021, by Jeremy Tuggle/Shasta County News Source.

Shasta County, California, October 7, 2021 - The present California drought has lowered Shasta Lake’s elevation to its second lowest record surpassing 2014’s elevation total of 889.49-feet, below full pool to 889.42-feet, and continuing to lower to tie or break the 1977 all-time historic low record this year, or possibly next year. Shasta Lake is currently listed at twenty-three percent full.

Very little rain has fallen this year, since summer waned down, and fall started. The top six historic records are listed by feet below and below the full pool elevation of 1,067-feet, with 365 miles of shoreline when full, as they are posted below in order: 

1.) September 14, 1977 - 836.68

2.) October 7, 2021 - 889.42 and continuing to drop.

3.) November 29, 2014 - 889.49

4.) September 10, 1976 - 906.78

5.) October 30, 2008 - 909.23

6.) December 24, 1991 - 909.88

Shasta Lake according to my research is now 52.81-feet from the September 14, 1977, all-time historic low record. Shasta Lake’s official website claims 238-feet, is the all-time low but research through microfilmed newspapers from 1977 show differently. Already this year, some oft-forgotten relics have emerged from the murky depths of Shasta Lake such as a 112-year-old freight train car derailment on the Shasta Route Railroad on the Sacramento River arm just north of Charlie Creek and north of Tunnel Number 6 in Lakehead, a sunken boat mystery at Bridge Bay Marina with no-known history. Their resort has been requesting help with identifying it, and railroad tunnel number four which is rarely seen in drought season, and a foundation of a building at Pollock, just north of the historic Pollock bridge, to name a few of the many relics that have emerged during this drought season.

*Disclaimer: For years, I have claimed the lowest to be 836.92-feet, below full pool, or 230.08 below the crest of Shasta Dam which was wrong. 

Resources: 

http://shasta.uslakes.info/Level/

http://www.shastalake.com/shastalake/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2Xf6mEaeGUWq1qe7jQkxNa92_HpsIE0x3Ygv2JjJDP-wK8WLDdo8lUz_I

https://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo/vungvari/daily.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1xNGuLm6adSJuA_h6qLTmTIT-M5saL8tRq1qxUQSpFr7H8pWRhfgsiDXQ