PG&E Says Drought Dried Northern California Reservoir

WESTWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- Mountain Meadows Reservoir is dry and an official with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says the drought is to blame for the dead fish and 5,800 acres of mud that remain.

The Sacramento Bee reports the reservoir is the upper-most storage facility in the company's Feather River hydroelectric system. PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said the flat, shallow reservoir was going to go dry at some point.

Dead non-native fish like large-mouth bass have accumulated near Indian Ole Dam. A Westwood-based nonprofit conservation group is meeting Friday to discuss the dry reservoir.

The Hamilton Branch stream connects the reservoir to Lake Almanor. Mountain Meadows Conservancy chairman Ron Lunder says the utility provider chose not to stop outflows from the reservoir when the water level reached a minimum.