Low level of Lake Shasta brings drastic water shortage to California's Sacramento Valley
5/23/2022 11:28:15 PM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Plants & Wildlife
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Amador County, CA
Butte County, CA
Colusa County, CA
El Dorado County, CA
Glenn County, CA
Lassen County, CA
Modoc County, CA
Nevada County, CA
Placer County, CA
Plumas County, CA
Sacramento County, CA
San Joaquin County, CA
Shasta County, CA
Sierra County, CA
Siskiyou County, CA
Sutter County, CA
Tehama County, CA
Yolo County, CA
Yuba County, CA
Start Date: 5/23/2022
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Sacramento Valley’s water supply has been certain even during deep droughts in the past, but this year, for the first time ever, no water is flowing to land in the Western Sacramento Valley. Farmers and ranchers are trying to sustain their cattle and crops, refuges will get less water threatening migratory birds, and millions of salmon eggs are expected to die for lack of cold water from Shasta Dam.
Even Sacramento River Settlement Contractors will receive just 18% in an effort to leave more water in Lake Shasta to keep enough cold water to stave off salmon egg deaths, but still more than half of the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon eggs are expected to die, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
CalMatters (Sacramento, Calif.), May 23, 2022
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