Heavy rains in Southern California led to the surprising resurgence of a historic reservoir that hadn’t been full in decades.
As explained in the Ventura County Reporter in April, Lake Casitas is approaching 100% capacity for the first time since 1998. The lake is a popular recreational area where visitors enjoy boating, fishing, camping and connecting with the nature, so the increase in level will attract even more explorers and benefit businesses in the region.
“I mean, it’s amazing. It looks awesome,” said Carlos Hernandez, who works at the nearby Marina Café, where business has “bumped up” since people learned the lake was nearing its capacity. ability. “Everyone is super excited and everyone is very happy about it. A lot of longtime residents never thought it would be full again in their lives. But it is, and they’re excited. They’re happy, you can tell.”
The ever-changing climate has played a major role in the lake’s re-emergence. According to the VC Reporter, it was in 2016 that a Level 3 drought was declared in the area, and by the end of 2022, Casitas officials feared the lake could fall below 30% capacity, which would have triggered a level 4 drought. declaration.
However, the winter of 2022-2023 brought unprecedented storms that added “approximately 326,000 gallons” to the lake, bringing capacity to nearly 75%.
“Last year we actually diverted supply from January to mid-June, which was really unheard of,” Michael Flood, general manager of the Casitas Municipal Water District, said of the storms from 2022-23.
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This winter has brought more precipitation to Southern California, further increasing the chances of the lake overflowing for only the ninth time in its history.
“And a decent year of rain too, about 240% of average. Over 50,000 acre-feet this year so far. And we’re getting almost within about two feet of where the lake will start to overflow the spillway,” Flood said.
The spillway leads to Coyote Creek, the Ventura River and finally the Pacific Ocean, so the resurgence of Casitas Lake could benefit several bodies of water.
It was also recently reported that water levels in Lake Elsinore reached record highs following the rains that hit Southern California. These developments will only further improve the environment and attract more visitors.
“Everyone is excited about it. Everyone has had a lot of fishing. No one is complaining that it’s full, but a lot of people are making comments that it’s about to overflow,” said Mariah Reames, cashier at Corner Market, about Lake Casitas.
“It’s really beautiful when you see it that high,” said Wendy Gillett, founder of the nonprofit Casitas Rowing. “We noticed that with all the rain, the hills are greener, there seems to be more wildlife, there are a lot more people coming to watch them, and therefore there is a lot more life and ‘activities, which is good.’
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