New Melones Lake
| New Melones Lake | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location |
Calaveras County, California Tuolumne County, California |
| Coordinates | 37°59′56″N 120°31′16″W / 37.9990°N 120.5212°WCoordinates: 37°59′56″N 120°31′16″W / 37.9990°N 120.5212°W |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Stanislaus River |
| Primary outflows | |
| Catchment area | 2,300 km2 (890 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 12 km (7.5 mi) |
| Max. width | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Surface area | 5,100 ha (13,000 acres) |
| Water volume | 2,400,000 acre·ft (3,000,000 dam3) |
| Shore length1 | 160 km (99 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 331 m (1,086 ft) |
| References | U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: New Melones Lake |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
New Melones Lake is a reservoir on the Stanislaus River in the central Sierra Nevada foothills, within Calaveras County and Tuolumne County, California.
The New Melones Dam and reservoir are a water collection and transfer unit of the Central Valley Project. New Melones Lake provides irrigation water, hydroelectric power, flood control, and wildlife habitat. Recreation uses include fishing, camping, and boating within the Glory Hole Recreation Area and Tuttletown Recreation Area.
The reservoir is impounded by the New Melones Dam, and has a 2,400,000 acre·ft (3.0 km3) capacity with a surface area of 12,500 acres (5,100 ha). When full, the shoreline is more than 100 miles (160 km) long.
The reservoir and dam are located west of Jamestown and Sonora, and south of Angels Camp. The Archie Stevenot Bridge, completed in 1976, carries Hwy 49 across the lake and border between Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties.
The Stanislaus River and environs experienced dramatic changes beginning with the Gold Rush. The site of the reservoir is at the very heart of Gold Country, and development began there with the arrival of the miners in the 1840s. Water was immediately diverted, the riverbeds scoured for gold, and the banks colonized by miners and the businesses that served them. By 1900 the flowing water was used to create electricity. Some of it was diverted into canals for use in San Joaquin Valley agriculture.
The original Melones Dam was completed in 1926, forming a smaller Melones Lake reservoir.
The New Melones Project was authorized in 1944 to create a much larger reservoir and to establish a new hydroelectric plant. It would also be specifically designed to prevent floods.
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Wikipedia