Whiskeytown Lake

Recreation

Camping, swimming, boating, water skiing, and fishing are all on offer at Whiskeytown Lake, though jet skis and similar personal watercraft are not allowed. Anglers can target rainbow and German brown trout, several bass species, and kokanee salmon. Locals appreciate the lake for its 30-foot water visibility and the wildlife around it, including nesting bald eagles, black bears, mountain lions, blacktail deer, turtles, and raccoons. The lake is required to be completely full from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Whiskeytown Dam

Whiskeytown Dam, an earth-fill embankment dam, is 263 ft, 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. 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. Most of the electricity produced by the three powerhouses supplies Redding's municipal electric utility, as well as other municipal electric utilities in Northern California, with the remainder offered into the California Independent System Operator's markets for purchase by load-serving entities throughout the state.

Did You Know?

• The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe eating advisory for fish caught in Whiskeytown Lake due to elevated levels of mercury.
• Whiskeytown Reservoir is one of several places in northern California to register a temperature of 120 °F or above.
• The Carr Fire burned all the way around the lake.