MEDFORD, ORE. — It’s only Friday but there’s no stopping people from kick starting the weekend early at Emigrant Lake in Ashland.
“The water levels are amazing, I thought they would be lower, but yea it’s good. The water temperature has been amazing too. so it’s been really nice out here,” said Jackie Auchard, owner of Liquid Paddle Stand Up Paddleboards at Emigrant Lake.
The lake is more than half full, good news for the Jackson County Parks Department who manages the lake.
“We’ve really learned this year and in the past years that our visitors like to go where the waters at and Emigrant Lake and Willow Lake have been very busy,” said Steve Lambert, parks program manager for Jackson County Parks.
While lake levels are below normal, they are higher right now than they were at this time last year.
“We’ve really anticipated the water year here at Emigrant Lake quite a bit lower than we did. But we’re staffed and planned for a normal year here at Emigrant Lake,” said Lambert.
That’s not the case everywhere though.As water at Applegate Lake is drained, access to the lake will be nearly impossible.
As of Friday afternoon the lake was only 42% full and it’s expected to be closed in less than a month.
The Army Corps of Engineers say Lost Creek Lake is expected to drop 30 feet lower than a typical year.
In Northern California, Kevin Kelley is the operations manger at Holiday Harbor at Lake Shasta.
“Its not perfect, but you know we’ll take it. And we’ll try to run with it and try to market that and sell some boats and try to get some people out on the lake,” said Kelley.
Below are links to lake levels to other lakes in our area.
Lakes monitored by the Army Corps. of Engineers: click here.
Lakesmonitoredby the Bureau of Reclamation: click here.
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