Drought

California's Lake Shasta's water level is higher this year than last fall when it hit a 16-year low, but a continuing drought is keeping the state's largest reservoir far from full.

The lake level was just over 121 feet below its crest on the last day of summer - and it's expected to bottom out at 140 feet down by the end of November. This is still 25 feet higher than last year.

An above-average year of rainfall could bring the 4.5 million acre-foot capacity reservoir, which is 40 percent full Monday, to its brim. An acre-foot is enough water to cover an acre with water 1 foot deep.

The reservoir is much more reliant on rain clouds than snowpack, so how well it recharges over fall, winter and spring depends on rainfall.

The last time it was close to full was in 2006, when the lake level came just under 3 feet from the crest after exceptionally heavy winter and spring rains.

D300
2009:09:20 11:38:44
18-200mm @ 26mm
1/320 sec, f/16
Mode: Av
Metering: Multi-segment
Exp comp: -1/3
ISO: 320
AF mode: AF-C
White balance: AUTO
Flash: Off