California City Officials Say Lake Shasta Water Level May Be Down, But Not Out Due to Climate Change

Cyclical drought still bringing tourists—and familiar 'bathtub rings' in dry areas

The Pit River Bridge stretches over a drying section of Shasta Lake in Lakehead, Calif., on Oct. 16, 2022. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

SHASTA LAKE, Calif.—Longtime bait-and-tackle shop owner Bob Braz has seen droughts come and go at Lake Shasta, nestled in California’s upper Central Valley, but 1976–77 was the worst on record.

The two-year drought left the lake’s water level 238 feet below its 1,067-foot mark above sea level at total capacity, exposing vast swaths of rocky lake bed and debris.