According to the latest report from the US Drought Monitor, two of the state’s largest reservoirs — Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville — are at "critically low levels."
Highlights
- California’s two largest reservoirs are at “critically low levels” at the point of the year when they should be the highest.
- Shasta Lake is only at 40% of its capacity, the lowest it has ever been at the start of May since record-keeping began in 1977.
- Lake Oroville is at 55% of capacity, which is 70% of where it should be around this time on average.
- State water agencies are relying on the state to “only receive 5% of their requested supplies in 2022,” a DWR official says.
- The impending summer heat and water shortages will hit California’s most vulnerable populations, particularly those in farming communities, the hardest.