French Meadows Reservoir

Infobox lake
lake_name =French Meadows Reservoir
image_lake =
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry=
location = Placer County, California
coords = coord|39|06|42|N|120|28|06|W|region:US-CA_type:waterbody|display=inline,title
type =
inflow = North Fork American River
outflow =
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length = convert|2.9|mi|abbr=on|lk=on
width = convert|0.6|mi|abbr=on|lk=on
area =
depth =
max-depth =
volume = convert|125601|acre.ft|abbr=on|lk=on
shore = convert|7.3|mi|abbr=on|lk=on
elevation = convert|5263|ft|abbr=on|lk=on
islands =
cities =
frozen =

French Meadows Reservoir is a manmade lake convert|36|mi|km northeast of Foresthill, California United States. on the Middle Fork of the American River. The reservoir is convert|2.9|mi|km long, convert|0.6|mi|km|sing=on wide, with convert|7.3|mi|km of shoreline.

Tahoe National Forest manages the recreational facilities which include five campgrounds, two group campgrounds and two paved boat launch ramps. Activities at the lake include powerboating, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, picniking and hiking.The reservoir is entirely within a state game refuge so no firearms, pellet guns or archery weapons are allowed.The elevation of the lake is convert|5263|ft|m and is nine miles (14 km) from the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. [Pike, Charles "Paddling Northern California", The Globe Pequot Press, 2001]

History

The reservoir was built in December, 1964 with the construction on the Middle Fork of the American River of the left|L.L. Anderson dam. The dam is rock-fill with earh core. The capacity of the reservoir is convert|125601|acre.ft of water. French Meadows Reservoir is part of the Middle Fork Project for power generation and its water is diverted to the powerhouse on Hell Hole Reservoir by an underground tunnel. Releases from French Meadows Reservoir to the powerhouse began one year later, December 13, 1965. The project is operated by the Placer County Water Agency. [ [http://ca.water.usgs.gov/archive/waterdata/99/11427400.html The 1999 California Hydrologic Data Report USGS] retrieved 13 March, 2008]

Footnotes