Folsom Lake Releases In Drought Mean Recreation Season Coming To An End Soon
FOLSOM LAKE (CBS13) — A lake serving as the main source of water for hundreds of thousands in Folsom and Roseville is drying up faster than expected.
While it's just the start of summer fun for many, it's also nearing the end of recreation on Folsom Lake.
Water officials say the reservoir will get to scary lows, which is why a lot of boaters say they plan to relocate to the Sacramento River where the water is low, but recreation isn't over.
Daniel Goldman is going out for his final boat ride of the summer at Folsom Lake less than a month into the season.
"With how rain we got, we knew it was coming," he said. "I've definitely never seen it go down that fast like it has in the last couple weeks."
Chris Ostrander remembers it getting this bad last year.
"We're all in trouble, and this is just the second bad year in a row," he said.
The State Water Resources Control Board says the plan is to drop the lake to 12 percent of capacity, or 120,000 acre feet by September.
"Even considering extreme dry conditions into the fall, there would still be adequate storage," deputy director Les Grober said.
The Bureau of Reclamation is draining the lake to keep saltwater out of the Delta. To east the pain, officials have slowed down the water releases slightly.