Spring 2024 outlook at California’s 10 Largest Reservoirs

Updated: April 2024

Folsom, Calif.- Spring has sprung and a resurgent snowpack these past two years are a welcome relief! California’s water resources are looking fantastic heading into the season. The last two years have delivered California from a horrible drought and catastrophic fire seasons. A more than ample dose of precipitation these past couple of years has tampered down on the dire predictions wrongly forecasted.

California’s 10 largest reservoirs should expect an extra dose from the early spring storms as optimism reigns before the dry summer arrives!

Fun Facts

Taller than the Hoover Dam, the Lake Oroville Dam at 770 feet is the tallest in the United States.
An acre foot is approximately 326,000 gallons. The average U.S. household is estimated to use between one half to one acre foot per year.
In 2017, the Lake Oroville Dam spillway at risk of failure caused a large scale evacuation

Total Outdoor use accounts for an estimated 30 percent of water use according the U.S. EPA.

California reservoir levels over time

April 5, 2024

RESERVOIR	% Capacity	% Average
Shasta Lake	94	117
New Melones	84	135
Don Pedro	84	111
Lake Oroville	88	123
Trinity Lake	81	110
San Luis Res	73	85
New Bullards Bar	88	113
Lake McClure	70	129
Pine Flat Res	81	151
FOLSOM LAKE	75	116

Nov 1, 2023

RESERVOIR	% Capacity	% Average
Shasta Lake	69	129
New Melones	79	147
Don Pedro	81	123
Lake Oroville	68	134
Trinity Lake	50	86
San Luis Res	65	145
New Bullards Bar	69	115
Lake McClure	65	152
Pine Flat Res	56	202
FOLSOM LAKE	57	131

January 1, 2023

RESERVOIR	% Capacity	% Average
Shasta Lake	33	57
New Melones	29	53
Don Pedro	58	86
Lake Oroville	36	69
Trinity Lake	23	38
San Luis Res	34	54
New Bullards Bar	68	110
Lake McClure	27	62
Pine Flat Res	26	75
FOLSOM LAKE	57	140

November 1, 2022

RESERVOIR	% Capacity	% Average
Shasta Lake	31	58
New Melones	24	45
Don Pedro	49	75
Lake Oroville	31	61
Trinity Lake	22	38
San Luis Res	25	55
New Bullards Bar	62	103
Lake McClure	18	42
Pine Flat Res	16	56
FOLSOM LAKE	30	69

Oct 1, 2021

RESERVOIR	% Capacity	% Average
Shasta Lake	24	39
New Melones	35	63
Don Pedro	50	74
Lake Oroville	22	36
Trinity Lake	29	43
San Luis Res	12	26
New Bullards Bar	41	67
Lake McClure	20	45
Pine Flat Res	20	59
Folsom Lake	23	41

Top 10 California Reservoirs – July 4, 2021

RESERVOIR	% Capacity	% Average
Shasta Lake	38	48
New Melones	50	79
Don Pedro	61	77
Lake Oroville	31	39
Trinity Lake	47	55
San Luis Res	32	51
New Bullards Bar	53	62
Lake McClure	37	53
Pine Flat Res	28	41
Folsom Lake	29	35