“Snow is the best billboard, the best marketing you could ever have.” Loren Hafen, president of the tourism group Visit Big Bear
After an exceptionally dry 2022, Big Bear Lake nearly hit record-low water levels in early December. And with experts predicting a rare third year of La Niña conditions in 2023, some localsabout how the West’s climate change-fueled megadrought might affect recreation opportunities, wildlife and the economy of a mountain town that draws visitors from throughout Southern California.
Snow melt alone won’t be enough to get it there, said Mike Stephenson, head of the Big Bear Municipal Water District, which manages the lake.“We are waiting to see what else we get to hopefully have a fuller lake so we can run all of our facilities.” Flooding and mudslides have posed problems in recent weeks for two of the three mountain roads leading into Big Bear Valley — particularly in areas along Highway 38 that in recent years were burned by wildfire. But there’s no risk of the man-made lake flooding shore-front homes, no matter how much snow or rain falls, because Stephenson’s team is allowed to release water from the dam at the west end of the lake as soon as it’s within four feet from being full.
Former lakeside homes sit under Snow Summit Ski Resort in Big Bear Lake, CA, on Friday, August 26, 2022. The lake is 16 1/2 feet below full and algae is giving the water a green hue.
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