Western Railroad Discussion > Shasta Lake is Full, Full, Full

For the 2nd year in a row, Shasta Lake in Northern California is full.  This is a boon for both water managers and railfans alike.  UP crosses an arm of Shasta Lake at Lower Salt Creek on an impressive structure that is difficult to discern from ground level.  A few days ago, I caught UP 7713 South crossing Lower Salt Creek near the station of O'Brien.  The last photo shows what it looks like from ground level.

 

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• Very nice shots. Great to see the lake full again.  Ben

Shasta is full, Oroville is full, Tahoe is full. Rain/drought conditions obviously fluctuate. At the moment, the state has enjoyed two consecutive years of above average rainfall and Sierra snowpack, which has been beneficial to the state, in terms of water availabiltiy, recreation, etc.
 

Beautiful aerial shot!

Great angle, tough to photograph from the ground.

There's a road along the south side but there's trees all over the place. Everything else is climb halfway up a dead tree or simply looking up from the ground. Not sure of the stats, sometimes the lake is 'to the branches' full, no ground cover around the edge at all. As was said, good winter's for water, enjoy it while we can.

t4p.

That's trick photography, we've seen the empty lake pictures, and the experts said
it would never fill up again!

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
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> That's trick photography, we've seen the empty
> lake pictures, and the experts said
> it would never fill up again!
>
> Out 

Yup thats what they say am sure these are old pix when it was last full, lol.  A friend who is a little older than I has seen the same thing over his many years of living and working around it.

hotrail Wrote:
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> Shasta is full, Oroville is full, Tahoe is full.
> Rain/drought conditions obviously fluctuate. At
> the moment, the state has enjoyed two consecutive
> years of above average rainfall and Sierra
> snowpack, which has been beneficial to the state,
> in terms of water availabiltiy, recreation, etc.
>  

Yup, La Niña is setting up again allegedly which may set the stage for more drought conditions in a couple years. Such is life here in Cali we either have it or we dont.
Enjoy it now.

Posted from Android

That's why you see more projects like settling basins that allow the water to seep back into the ground to refill the aquifers. They're starting to learn...

Well, here's what it looked like back in 2008.  A sad sight, unless you are into archaeology.

I don't know of any level-headed person who said it would "never fill up again."  It comes and goes in cycles.  But historically there have been droughts much longer than the recent ones.  That would be truly scary.



BAB Wrote:
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> callum_out Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That's trick photography, we've seen the empty
> > lake pictures, and the experts said
> > it would never fill up again!
> >
> > Out 
>
> Yup thats what they say am sure these are old pix
> when it was last full, lol.  A friend who is a
> little older than I has seen the same thing over
> his many years of living and working around it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/24 15:46 by billmeeker.

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Great shots!

callum_out Wrote:
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> That's trick photography, we've seen the empty
> lake pictures, and the experts said
> it would never fill up again!

Please provide information on what expert and when said that it would never fill up again.

Just getting off work right now and enjoying your spectacular shots! 
Makes me want to drive up there, deploy the float tube and try to fish and photograph trains simultaneously...

longliveSP Wrote:
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> callum_out Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That's trick photography, we've seen the empty
> > lake pictures, and the experts said
> > it would never fill up again!
>
> Please provide information on what expert and when
> said that it would never fill up again.

Why does he need to? I recall the drought of 1975-1977. In the fall of '77 it was so bad deer were eating the bark off certain trees as a food source. State officials were predicting it would take multiple rainy years to fill up all the dams and reservoirs. Most filled up in the very wet winter of '77-78.

Keith_Kevet

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/24 22:24 by Keith_Kevet.

btw, the first three photos are of Salt Creek bridge, the pre-dam highway 99 crossed the Sacramento river and then followed Salt Creek eventually to a ridge summit and continued south near the present Interstate, then dropped down and crossed the Pit River on a modest bridge, then climbed to the ridge and then south once again somewhat near the present Interstate. The highway 99 crossing of the Sacramento River had an extended concrete bridge structure. During low water levels parts of the old bridge are used as a boat launch. At low water levels the old roadway and a small concrete bridge can seen under the Salt Creek RR bridge.

The photo of the Bridge at low water with the pre-dam tunnel is near the town of Lakehead, not sure if it can be called Antlers bridge but they like that name in the area. It probably has an official number for the RR.

Keith_Kevet Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> longliveSP Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > callum_out Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > That's trick photography, we've seen the
> empty
> > > lake pictures, and the experts said
> > > it would never fill up again!
> >
> > Please provide information on what expert and
> when
> > said that it would never fill up again.
>
> Why does he need to? I recall the drought of
> 1975-1977. In the fall of '77 it was so bad deer
> were eating the bark off certain trees as a food
> source. State officials were predicting it would
> take multiple rainy years to fill up all the dams
> and reservoirs. Most filled up in the very wet
> winter of '77-78.

There is a world of difference between "experts said it would never fill up again" and "state officials were predicting it would take multiple rainy years".

But if you do not understand the difference...

Here is the current status of California reservoirs. 
 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

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Wow!!   Water  is  GOOD!!

Great photos

Posted from iPhone

longliveSP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Keith_Kevet Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > longliveSP Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > callum_out Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > That's trick photography, we've seen the
> > empty
> > > > lake pictures, and the experts said
> > > > it would never fill up again!
> > >
> > > Please provide information on what expert and
> > when
> > > said that it would never fill up again.
> >
> > Why does he need to? I recall the drought of
> > 1975-1977. In the fall of '77 it was so bad
> deer
> > were eating the bark off certain trees as a
> food
> > source. State officials were predicting it
> would
> > take multiple rainy years to fill up all the
> dams
> > and reservoirs. Most filled up in the very wet
> > winter of '77-78.
>
> There is a world of difference between "experts
> said it would never fill up again" and "state
> officials were predicting it would take multiple
> rainy years".
>
> But if you do not understand the difference...

I understand the difference. The problem is you're looking for an argument as usual. But you be you...

Posted from Android



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/24 22:17 by Keith_Kevet.