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Weekend Rain Breathes Some Life Into Barren Folsom Lake

FOLSOM LAKE (CBS13) — Officials at the Bureau of Reclamation were excited that this weekend's storm breathing some life into an otherwise barren Folsom Lake.

Even though some parts of the lake still look like a desert after a heavy rain, there's reason the feds are somewhat optimistic.

"It did provide some additional water," said Louis Morre with the federal agency.

Lately, Folsom Lake has been the poster child for drought, but visitors can see the difference after this weekend's storm.

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According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the lake's elevation increased about 17 feet. But it's still only 25 percent of what it should be this time of the year.

But what about other Northern California reservoirs?

"In Shasta [Lake] it was minimal, may be a couple of inches if that much, because the system passed through areas, but missed some others," Morre said.

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It may not seem like a lot, but Folsom Lake got a lion's share of the weekend storm.

But visitors to the lake know that's not enough.

"It think we have a long way to go," said Dean Stevenson. "We need another week or two of this to make a difference."

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