Shaver Lake is becoming a lake again. After being completely drained this winter for dam maintenance, the popular Sierra Nevada lake is slowly being refilled.

In this photo, sent Thursday afternoon by Dick Nichols of Dick's Fishing Charters, you can see still see the spillway of the 1890s rockfill dam but the fortress-looking boiler houses are now underwater.

Nichols reports that water is already spreading toward the Sierra Marina and could reach the boat ramp within a month. With any luck, boaters might be able to use the lake by sometime in April.

While most of Shaver's fish perished, help is on the way. Sixty thousand pounds of rainbow trout, a mixture of trophy-sized and "catchables," will be planted in late spring and summer.

Why does it take months to fill the lake? According to Nichols, Southern California Edison is keeping inflows low in order to lessen the chances of dirt from the bottom to be pushed toward the "new" dam. He says the water looks murky now, but once it levels off all the dirt will sink to the bottom and the lake will regain its clarity.

Within a day or so, Nichols reports, the old dam will be underwater, possibly never to be seen again.