Receding Waters Of Castaic Lake Reveal ATF Badge, Gun

CASTAIC (CBSLA.com) — A federal law enforcement-issued gun and badge are just a couple of the items that have been recently found underneath the receding waters of drought-dry Castaic Lake.

A Castaic man fishing on the dam at Castaic Lake found a backpack that had been exposed as the water line has gone down 151 feet, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said. The bag contained a gun and a badge issued to an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

KCAL9's Brittney Hopper spoke with fisherman Jay Poore who said he has been fishing on the lake since he was 2-years-old.

The ATF agent, who was not identified, said that he and a friend from the Los Angeles County Probation went to Castaic Lake in 1992 to enjoy a day on the lake. The duo decided to put their valuables in a backpack they took on the boat instead of leaving it in the soft-top Jeep they had driven, officials said.

At some point, the boat was swamped and the backpack, containing a gun, badge, pager, watch, what appears to be a class ring and a credit card-size calendar, went over the side and into the lake.

"As I opened it up a gun fell out," said Poore. "I opened the wallet and there was a badge. I knew that I better go find the sheriff's and give it to them."

The officers told sheriff's officials they got a lot of grief from their peers about losing their badges and weapon in the lake but were glad the items have been found and their story was validated.

Castaic Lake's water level continues to drop because of the drought, revealing items like the backpack, an outboard motor and a GoPro camera, officials said.