French Lake Reservoir

Reservoir in Nevada County, California, United States

Not to be confused with French Meadows Reservoir.

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French Lake Reservoir

French Lake Reservoir

Location| Nevada County, California, United States
Coordinates| 39°25′15″N 120°32′32″W﻿ / ﻿39.420700°N 120.542248°W﻿ / 39.420700; -120.542248
Built| 1859; 166 years ago (1859),
reconstructed 1948; 77 years ago (1948)
Surface area| 1.36 km2 (0.53 sq mi)
Water volume| Max 17,000,000 m3 (14,000 acre⋅ft)
References| [1]

French Lake Reservoir (National ID # CA00247) is a reservoir in Nevada County, California.

The earthen, rock-fill French Lake Dam was first constructed in 1859, and is a candidate for the first use of rock-fill in an engineered dam.[1] Reconstructed in 1948, it impounds Canyon Creek for flood control, irrigation water storage, municipal drinking water, and hydropower. The dam is 100 feet (30 m) high, with a length of 300 feet (91 m) at its crest.[2] It is one of ten facilities operated by Nevada Irrigation District.

## Overview

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French Lake Reservoir has a surface area of 337 acres (136 ha) and a maximum capacity of 13,800 acre-feet (17,000,000 m3). The site is surrounded by Tahoe National Forest. The adjacent namesake townsite of French Lake, California is a ghost town of the California Gold Rush era.

## See also

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* List of dams and reservoirs in California
* List of lakes in California

## References

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1. ^ a b Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division, Volume 92, page 135
2. ^ http://findlakes.com/main.php?french lake [dead link]