Lake Shasta Continues to Rise

FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — The recent El Nino-fueled storms are bringing some long-sought-after relief to drought-stricken California.

Lake Shasta, the Central Valley’s key reservoir, has risen to a rather encouraging level.

On Thursday, it had around 3.9 million acre feet of water, which is 87 percent of its total capacity, and 110 percent of its historic average for the day.

Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation increased releases from 5,000 cubic feet per second, to 20,000 cubic feet per second, to make room.

That marked the first time since 2011, that the bureau released water into the upper Sacramento River, at such a remarkable rate.