A California lake is about to overflow for the first time in more than a quarter of a century after an extremely wet winter. Lake Casitas, in the Ojai Valley about 90 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, was at 96.2% capacity as of Wednesday, April 3, according to data from the Casitas Municipal Water District.
The data also showed that the lake was -3.37 feet from overflow. When full, the lake can hold up to 238,000 acres of water. It currently contains 228,863. The Casitas Lake Dam was built in 1958 and formed the present-day reservoir.
The Lake Casitas Dam was constructed in 1958 and now forms the reservoir. In 1978, it reached full capacity and spilled over. However, it has now not spilled over since 1998.
In recent years, the lake has been at extremely low levels due to California’s prolonged drought. Years of below-average precipitation meant that all the state’s reservoirs, not just Casitas, were suffering.
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This is a major concern for the state’s water supply, which depends heavily on water stored in these reservoirs, fed by snowmelt from the surrounding mountains.
However, 2023 was a wet year for the state, a series of intense winter storms have caused record rain and snowfall across the region. As of spring 2023, water levels have increased significantly in all reservoirs statewide. Many of them have even reached full capacity.
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2024 looks to be another good year for the state’s water supply. In April, the total level was 110% of normal, marking a strong comeback.
Since January 2024, California has experienced winter storms. A series of atmospheric rivers hit the state from late February to early March, followed by a rare blizzard that increased snowfall in the Sierra Nevada.
Atmospheric rivers are corridors of concentrated tropical moisture moving through the atmosphere. They carry this moisture from the equator to the North and South poles, and when they arrive, they cause torrential rains. This is why the lake is closer to overflowing.
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Casitas board member Mary Bergen told the Ventura County Star newspaper that it was “amazing” to see the lake at high water levels again with a “good water supply.”
Not long ago, locals were forced to comply with strict restrictions to save as much water as possible. Throughout this year, the world is experiencing the El Niño weather phenomenon, which means wetter weather on the west coast. Last year, however, was a complete anomaly. Some experts believe that climate change is caused by climate change.
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