Don Pedro Reservoir | |
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Reservoir and Sierra Nevada foothills
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Location |
Stanislaus National Forest Tuolumne County, California |
Coordinates | 37°44′29″N 120°22′25″W / 37.7415°N 120.3735°WCoordinates: 37°44′29″N 120°22′25″W / 37.7415°N 120.3735°W |
Type | Reservoir |
Primary inflows | Tuolumne River |
Primary outflows | Tuolumne River |
Catchment area | 1,500 sq mi (3,900 km2) |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) |
Water volume | 2,030,000 acre·ft (2.50 km3) |
Shore length1 | 160 mi (260 km) |
Surface elevation | 245 m (804 ft) |
Islands | Laughlin Ridge |
References | U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Don Pedro Reservoir (also known as Lake Don Pedro) is a reservoir formed by the construction of the New Don Pedro Dam across the Tuolumne River in the Stanislaus National Forest of Tuolumne County, California.
The reservoir is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Communities located nearby are Moccasin and La Grange. It is the sixth-largest reservoir in California.
Also referenced as Don Pedro Lake when the name is qualified, the first projects in 1923 are generally referred to as the Old Don Pedro Dam and reservoir, and the 1971 upgrades are the New Don Pedro Dam and reservoir. Don Pedro Reservoir takes its name from Don Pedros Bar.Pierre ("Don Pedro") Sainsevain was one of the first prospectors after the discovery of gold in 1848 that began the California Gold Rush.
When full, the reservoir's shoreline is approximately 160 mi (260 km). The reservoir submerges some 26 mi (42 km) of Tuolumne River bed, and has a surface area of about 13,000 acres (5,300 ha). The 2,030,000 acre·ft (2.50 km3) stored here comes from a watershed of over 1,500 sq mi (3,900 km2), and is used by the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) and the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) for the irrigation of several hundred square miles of San Joaquin Valley farm land.
Some of the water is treated by the MID and used as drinking water in Modesto. The two irrigation districts and the BLM control the land 15 feet (4.6 m) above the high lake level.