Camanche Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Camanche Dam |
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Camanche Dam and Lake, looking north
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| Country | United States |
| Location | San Joaquin County, California |
| Coordinates | 38°13′27″N 121°01′24″W / 38.22417°N 121.02333°W |
| Status | In use |
| Opening date | 1963 |
| Owner(s) | East Bay Municipal Utility District |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Earthfill |
| Impounds | Mokelumne River |
| Height | 171 ft (52 m) |
| Length | 2,400 ft (730 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Camanche Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 431,000 acre⋅ft (0.532 km3) |
| Catchment area | 619 sq mi (1,600 km2) |
| Surface area | 7,770 acres (3,140 ha) |
| Power station | |
| Installed capacity | 10.7 MW |
| Annual generation | 30,067,000 KWh (2001–2012) |
Camanche Dam is a large earthfill dam located on the Mokelumne River in central California. It sits in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, in San Joaquin County. The dam was built between 1963 and 1964. It is owned and operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). The main jobs of Camanche Dam are to control floods, provide water for farms, help fish habitats, and offer fun activities for people.
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What is Camanche Dam's Purpose?
Before Camanche Dam was built, floods along the Mokelumne River caused a lot of damage. For example, a big flood in November 1950 caused about $1.1 million in damage. Another flood in December 1955 and January 1956 caused nearly $750,000 in damage.
The dam helps prevent these problems. After Camanche Dam was finished in April 1964, a very large flood in December 1964 caused only a few thousand dollars in damage. This shows how important the dam is for flood control.
The dam also helps manage water flow. It makes sure there is enough water for farms downstream, especially during the dry summer and fall months. It also helps keep the river healthy for fish and other wildlife.
How Big is Camanche Dam?
Camanche Dam holds back the water to create Camanche Reservoir. The reservoir can hold about 431,000 acre-feet of water. This is a huge amount! About 200,000 acre-feet of this water is kept just for flood control. This flood storage can even be shared with Pardee Dam, which is located upstream.
The dam itself is about 173 feet tall and 2,640 feet long. It's built on the Mokelumne River, about 10 miles downstream from Pardee Dam. Camanche Dam helps control floods because it collects water from a large area of 627 square miles. This area makes up about 95 percent of the river's watershed.
History of Camanche Dam
Before the dam was built, a small town named Camanche existed in the area. This town had a long history, especially during the California Gold Rush. Many small settlements like Poverty Bar and Clay's Bar were once nearby.
In the mid-1860s, pioneers from Iowa named their main town Camanche. They named it after a town in Iowa, and they misspelled the name of the Native American Comanche tribe in the same way.
By the early 1960s, when the East Bay Municipal Utility District decided to build the dam, only a few people still lived in Camanche. The town had to be emptied and was eventually covered by the new reservoir. Local newspapers in 1964 wrote that "Camanche will inundate many memories." The dam project cost $35 million and was a key part of a larger $283 million water project.
Construction of the dam started in August 1962. Just over a year later, in December 1963, the dam's valves were closed for the first time, and the huge reservoir began to fill up.
Camanche Dam is a special type of dam called a "zoned, grave-fill dam" with an "impervious core." This means it's built from different layers of earth and rock, with a strong, waterproof center. It stands 168 feet above the river and is 2,640 feet long. At its top, it is 34.5 feet wide.
Below the dam, there are special facilities for fish. This includes one of the largest artificial salmon spawning channels in the world. This channel helps salmon lay their eggs and grow, supporting the local fish population.
Before the dam was built, the Mokelumne River faced pollution from an old copper mine called Penn Mine. This pollution, known as acid mine drainage, caused problems for the river and its fish. The dam's owners and state officials worked together to clean up the site. This cleanup was finished in 1999, making the river much healthier.
How Camanche Dam is Built
Camanche Dam has important safety features built into its design. These include "relief wells" at the bottom of the dam. These wells allow underground water to escape, which helps reduce pressure on the dam's structure.
The dam also has a very large spillway. A spillway is like a giant overflow channel that lets excess water out of the reservoir safely. Camanche Dam's spillway can handle 182,000 cubic feet of water per second. This is about six times more water than the biggest flood ever recorded in the reservoir's history! These features help keep the dam and the areas downstream safe.
Fun at Camanche Lake
Camanche Reservoir is a popular spot for outdoor activities! The lake covers over 7,700 acres of water and has 56 miles of shoreline when it's full. The East Bay Municipal Utility District leases the reservoir to the Camanche Regional Park District, which helps develop it for recreation.
There are five different camping areas around the lake:
- North Shore Campground
- Boat-in Campground
- South-Shore Campground
- Group Campgrounds
- Equestrian Campground
Each campground offers different activities like fishing, boating, camping, and lodging. The California Parks Company operates the two main campgrounds, one on the north side and one on the south side. The South Shore Campground even has two RV Parks for those who want to bring their recreational vehicles.
If you're looking for more adventure, nearby Pardee and New Hogan lakes are also great places to visit. You can also take a short drive up Highway 88 to Grinding Rock State Park for a beautiful mountain and forest setting.
