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Water Picture Brightens

The old dam has once more been swallowed up by the rising lake, it’s no longer such a long hike from the campground to the shore, and — can you believe it? — boat ramps actually lead to water.

Yes, after a 23-foot rise there during the month of March, New Hogan is in much better shape as the end of the wet season approaches. And yet, it remains just 43 percent full, or 82 percent of normal.

California’s Largest Reservoir Filling too Fast Thanks to El Niño, Must Release More Water

The El Niño-fueled storms that have swept through Northern California in recent weeks have swelled some of the state’s largest reservoirs to encouraging levels even as the state’s drought persists.

One of the biggest beneficiaries has been Lake Shasta, a keystone reservoir of the Central Valley project, which serves California growers. To make room in Shasta for water from last weekend’s storms, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation ramped up releases from 5,000 cubic feet per second to 20,000 cubic feet per second on March 18.