Thousands of fish in Walker Lake in California have died after the lake dried up. The fish kill was because of the reservoir drying up overnight.
Also known as Mountain Meadows reservoir, the lake is a popular fishing hole located west of Susanville. Until the third Saturday of September, people were still fishing on the lake, but overnight, it drained like a bathtub, reports CBS.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, owner of the water rights to the lake, said that the water simply ran out. The utility firm denied it opened up the dam holding back the reservoir, reports Rapid News Network.
However, residents believe otherwise. "This makes me feel like (Pacific Gas and Electric) didn't want to do a fish rescue and that it was easier to open that sucker up Saturday night," RNN quotes a local resident.
Some residents said that the utility firm should have arranged to relocate the fish before allowing the lake to run dry. Others blame the use by ranches of the creeks that normally flow into the lake, rather than bringing more water to the reservoir as water supply trickled down.
Eddie Bauer, a resident who lives near the lake, said it was the first time in his entire life he saw Walker Lake dry up.
Doug Carison of the Department of Water Resources said the state relies on rainfall to fill the lakes. "Until we get more rain we're not likely to see any appreciable increase in the reservoir levels," he explains.
Pacific Gas spokesman Paul Moreno adds "It's the situation we worked hard to avoid but the reality is we're in a very serious drought."