Dozens of tires surface at Lake Perris as water level drops amid drought

LAKE PERRIS, Calif. (KABC) -- Dozens of tires have surfaced at Lake Perris as the water level continues to drop amid California's historic drought.

There's still plenty of water lapping the shoreline at the lake, but not nearly as much as there was a few years ago.

Consequently, as the water level drops, residents are starting to see things that haven't been seen in decades.

"There's some shipwrecks, some sunken boats in the marina. There's just a lot of stuff," said Aldo Gonzalez of Upland.

But it's a tire reef on the southeast side of the lake that's getting a lot of attention - dozens and dozens of giant tires that were once underwater but not anymore.

"I mean it's always been there. It's a man-made habitat for bass fishing, but I mean it's out of the water now," Gonzalez said.

The water level has gone down about 40 feet from where it was years ago. That's the lowest it's ever been.

Lifeguard Officer T. Senneff said he first noticed the tire reef in August, when the tires were still submerged.

"I had heard from fisherman and other locals that the structure was out here, but I'd never seen it until this summer," Senneff said.

Meanwhile, the water level continues to recede. So one wonders, if there can be dozens of giant tires out here, what might we discover next?