Whiskeytown Lake
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Whiskeytown Lake is a lake in Shasta County in northwestern California, about 8 miles west of Redding. The lake is in the Whiskeytown Unit of the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. It has a capacity of 241,100 acre-feet and is formed by Whiskeytown Dam on Clear Creek. Additional water comes from Lewiston Reservoir, supplied by the Trinity River, by the Clear Creek Tunnel, which comes from the bottom of Trinity Lake. Before entering the lake, the water generates hydroelectricity at the 154-MW Judge Francis Carr Powerhouse. Whiskey Creek also empties into the lake. A large portion of the lake's water leaves through the Spring Creek Tunnel, which delivers the water to the 180-MW Spring Creek Powerhouse, whose tailrace empties into Keswick Reservoir. The 117-MW Keswick Powerhouse at Keswick Dam empties into the Sacramento River.
The earth-fill dam is 263 feet tall and was completed in 1963. It is owned and operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Its purpose is to provide flood control, water for irrigation and electricity generation. There are also recreational activities available at the lake, including camping, swimming, boating, water skiing and fishing. However, personal water craft have been banned from the lake.
Whiskeytown is favored by locals because of the 30 foot visiblity of its waters, and wildlife that surround the lake. There are numerous breeding pairs of bald eagles that nest on the lake's shores. Sharing the habitat are brown bears, mountain lions, blacktail deer, turtles and racoons, among other wild life. It is mandated that the lake be at full capacity by Memorial Day, and remain full until Labor Day.
