Due to Extreme Drought, Experts Uncover Intriguing Discovery at the Bottom of California Lake

An underwater sonar company was testing its equipment at Folsom Lake, outside Sacramento, California, when they made a surprising discovery: the remnants of a mostly intact plane resting gently on the lakebed.

The Shocking Discovery

A Seafloor Systems employee, Tyler Atkinson told local CBS News affiliate KOVR: "I spotted something that wasn't normal." After an investigation carried out by the Placer County Sheriff's Office, dive teams made a conclusion that the plane was from a 1986 crash.

Initially, the Seafloor Systems employees who found the plane thought it suit the description of a plane that crashed on New Year's Day in 1965 with a captain and three passengers aboard. The body of the captain was discovered, but the three passengers were never found. That plane remains lost, with the Placer County Sheriff's Office encouraging people not to search for it.

The sheriff's office said in a statement: "The family members of the deceased from the 1965 plane crash do not wish for others to look for the plane or remains, they would like the last resting place for their family to be at the bottom of Folsom Lake."

Largest Reservoirs in California

The shocking discovery, made at one of the deepest parts of the lake, would not have been achievable if Folsom Lake (like many other lakes and reservoirs in California) was not drying out because of continuous and dangerous drought. Folsom Lake is presently at 38% of its total capacity, and other primary reservoirs across California are also at extremely low levels.

Some of the largest reservoirs in California, both Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville, are below their average capacity for this time of year. AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell earlier this month made a report from Lake Oroville on the worsening condition at the second-largest reservoir in California and the worry taking root among residents there.

In a statement given to AccuWeather, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said the newly-found plane wreck will not be retrieved.

Drought

Drought is characterized by the absence of precipitation - like rain, sleet, or snow - for a prolonged period of time, leading to water shortage.

While droughts take place naturally, human activity, like water use and management, can aggravate dry conditions. What is considered a drought differs from place to place and is largely based on a region's specific weather patterns.

Whereas the threshold for drought may be possible after just six rainless days on the tropical island of Bali, yearly rainfall would need to fall below seven inches in the Libyan desert to cause a similar declaration.

Developing nations are most susceptible to the impacts of climate change, including drought. Over 80 percent of drought-induced economic loss and damage suffered by developing nations from 2005 to 2015 was linked to crops, livestock, and fisheries.

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