In another indication of how severe the drought has become…the federal government’s main reservoirs serving California have begun the new water year at just a quarter-full, which is much worse than a year ago. At Scott’s Flat Lake, the recreation manager of the Nevada Irrigation District says it’s only 60-percent of last year’s already-low level. Peggy Davidson says it hasn’t been this low in, as she puts it, “many, many years”….

click to listen to Peggy Davidson

Davidson says launches stopped completely on the Cascades Shore side in July, with many boaters switching to Rollins Lake, which is still at 109-percent of average. Unlike Rollins, Scott’s Flat is also a water supplier, the main source for Nevada City…

click to listen to Peggy Davidson

But Davidson says, overall, recreational opportunities and interest are still fairly normal for this time of year.