Mountain Meadows Reservoir

Mountain Meadows Reservoir

Mountain Meadows Reservoir can be seen at right in this satellite image. Lake Almanor at left.
Location Lassen County, California[1]
Coordinates 40°16′11″N 120°57′38″W / 40.26972°N 120.96056°W / 40.26972; -120.96056[1]Coordinates: 40°16′11″N 120°57′38″W / 40.26972°N 120.96056°W / 40.26972; -120.96056[1]
Type reservoir
Primary outflows Hamilton Creek[2]
Catchment area 163.1 square miles (422 km2)[2]
Basin countries United States
Max. length 5 miles (8.0 km)
Max. width 2 miles (3.2 km)
Surface area 5,800 acres (2,300 ha)[2]
Water volume 24,800 acre feet (30,600,000 m3)[2]
Surface elevation 5,046 feet (1,538 m)[1]
Settlements Westwood, California

Mountain Meadows Reservoir is an artificial lake, located in Lassen County, California. The lake is also known as Walker Lake.[3] Its waters are impounded by the Indian Ole Dam, which was completed in 1924.

Hydrology

The lake is fed by Robbers Creek, Goodrich Creek, Duffy Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Mountain Meadows Creek, Greenville Creek, and Deerheart Creek. It discharges into Hamilton Creek,[2] which feeds Lake Almanor.

Indian Ole Dam

Indian Ole Dam is a flashboard and buttress dam, it is 264 feet (80 m) long and 26 feet (7.9 m) high, with 8 feet (2.4 m) of freeboard. Pacific Gas and Electric Company owns the dam[2] and manages the surrounding lands.[3]

History

Cultural remnants of both the American pioneers and the Maidu exist near the reservoir and other sites are believed to exist beneath its waters.[3]

As of September 13, 2015, the reservoir was completely dry, resulting in the death of perhaps thousands of fish.[4]

Recreation

Recreational uses of the lake include duck hunting, bird watching, fishing, and ice-skating.[5] Near the dam there is a boat ramp, which is accessible by way of a County-maintained gravel road.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mountain Meadows Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dams Within the Jurisdiction of the State of California (H-M)" (PDF). California Department of Water Resources, Division of Safety of Dams. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Mountain Meadows Reservoir Planning Unit" (PDF). Watershed Lands Stewardship Council.
  4. Johnson, Susan Cort. Mountain Meadows Reservoir empties stranding fish . Plumas County News September 25, 2015. http://www.plumasnews.com/index.php/14354-mountain-meadows-reservoir-empties-stranding-fish. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  5. "About Mountain Meadows".
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.