Shasta Lake
| Shasta Lake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 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 |
| 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 km3) |
| Shore length1 | 365 mi (587 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,067 ft (325 m) |
| Settlements | Lakehead |
| References | U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake Shasta |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Shasta Lake is a reservoir in Shasta County, California, United States. It is within the Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area, operated by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. It is also popularly known as "Lake Shasta".
It is impounded by Shasta Dam, the ninth tallest dam in the United States. Known as the keystone of the Central Valley Project, the outflow of Shasta Dam provides electricity and irrigation water. It also provides Sacramento River flood control below the dam for the Sacramento Valley.
With a capacity of 4,552,000 acre·ft (5,615,000 dam3) at full pool, the lake has an elevation of 1,067 ft (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 on its northern shore, Shasta Lake is popular for boating, water skiing, camping, house boating and fishing. Formed by the damming of the Sacramento River, 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).
The lake has four major arms, each created by an approaching river: The Sacramento River, the McCloud River, Squaw Creek, and the Pit River. The Sacramento River's source is the Klamath Mountains. The McCloud River's source is Mt. Shasta. The Pit River flows from Alturas.
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