| Lake Shasta | |
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| Location | Shasta-Trinity National Forest Shasta County, California |
| Coordinates | 40°45′37″N 122°22′19″W / 40.7602°N 122.37190°WCoordinates: 40°45′37″N 122°22′19″W / 40.7602°N 122.37190°W |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Sacramento River, Pit River, McCloud River |
| Primary outflows | Sacramento River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 35 mi (56 km) |
| Surface area | 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) |
| Max. depth | 517 ft (158 m) |
| Water volume | 4,552,000 acre·ft (5,615 Gl) |
| Shore length1 | 365 mi (587 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,067 ft (325 m) |
| Settlements | Lakehead |
| References | USGS GNIS: Lake Shasta |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Shasta, also called Shasta Lake, is an artificial lake created by the construction of Shasta Dam across the Shasta-Trinity National Forest of Shasta County, California. With a capacity of 4,552,000 acre·ft (5,615 Gl) at full pool, the lake has an elevation of 1,067 feet (325 m), and a surface area of 30,000 acres (12,000 ha), making it the state's largest reservoir, and its third largest body of water after Lake Tahoe and the Salton Sea.
Ten miles (16 km) north of the city of Redding, with the town of Lakehead its northern shores, Shasta Lake is popular for boating, water skiing, camping, house boating, and fishing. Formed by the damming of the Sacramento River, Pit River, McCloud River and several smaller tributaries, the lake has 365 mi (587 km) of mostly steep mountainous shoreline covered with tall evergreen trees and manzanita. The maximum depth is 517 feet (158 m).
Shasta Dam was constructed between 1935 and 1945, while the lake was formed in 1948. It became the second largest dam, and tallest concrete dam in the United States. Known as the keystone of the Central Valley Project, outflow from Shasta Dam provides electricity and irrigation for widespread areas of California below the dam as well as flood control for the Sacramento River during the rainy season. Beneath the lake is the submerged town of Kennett, defunct tunnels and right of way of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, parts of which can be seen when the water level is low.
Gallery
 Lake Shasta from I-5 |
 Lake Shasta from I-5 |
 Low waters on Lake Shasta |
References
- Department of Water Resources (2009). "Station Meta Data: Shasta Dam (SHA)". California Data Exchange Center. State of California. http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/profile?s=SHA&type=dam. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- "Shasta Lake Facts, Statistics and Data". ShastaLake.com. 22 September 2009. http://www.shastalake.com/shastalake. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lake Shasta |
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