Isabella Lake reaches highest level in years

Isabella Lake reaches highest level in years

Isabella Lake, which is the starting point of our Lower Kern river, has reached its highest level since 2012. The significance of this is our timeframe and snowpack: The peak of a runoff doesn’t arrive until the snow really starts to melt, which is still many months away, and our current snowpack, is so far outstanding. This data is pointing towards a terrific rafting year, one that we haven’t experienced in many years. While it’s still too early to start calling it “Big Water 2017” we’re close to having that be the case.

January 21, 2017 Isabella Lake storage: 190,658 acre-feet.
January 21, 2016 Isabella Lake storage: 34,647 acre-feet.

What are acre-feet? Acre-feet is the unit of measurement that the United States uses for large volumes of still water such as lakes and reservoirs. One acre-foot is exactly what it sounds like: A single foot of water, over one acre. Rivers and streams on the other hand, are measured in cubic feet per second – CFS. For more info on measurements and snowpack, read this blogpost.