![Lake Hensley Vista Point 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Lake_Hensley_Vista_Point_1.jpg)
Hidden Dam is an
earthen dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...
on the
Fresno River in
Madera County, California
Madera County (), officially the County of Madera, is a county at the geographic center of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 156,255. The county seat is Madera.
Madera County comprises the Madera, CA Metr ...
. It creates a reservoir known as Hensley Lake.
The dam was constructed in 1974 by the Perini Corporation as part of an expansive
project for
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
,
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
storage, and
recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...
. The dam is 184 feet tall, is 5730 feet long at its crest, and is the only major storage dam of the Fresno River.
The reservoir it creates, Hensley Lake, has a water surface of two and a half square miles, over twenty miles of shoreline, and has a maximum storage capacity of 90,000
acre-feet
The acre-foot is a non- SI unit of volume equal to about commonly used in the United States in reference to large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs, aqueducts, canals, sewer flow capacity, irrigation water, and river flows.
An acre-f ...
. In 1978 the lake was opened to day-use recreation, including water skiing, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, mountain biking, and hiking. Th
Hidden View Campgroundoffers single and group camping year-round.
The lake is named for local settler and cattle rancher John Jackson Hensley.
[The Valley's Legends & Legacies III, by Catherine Morison Rehart, page 99]
Eastman Lake
H. V. Eastman Lake (commonly known as Eastman Lake) is an artificial lake in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, California. A small percentage of the northwest area of the reservoir is in Mariposa County. The lake was named in honor of ...
, another Corps of Engineers lake, is located 15 miles to the northwest.
See also
*
List of dams and reservoirs in California
Following is a list of dams and reservoirs in California in a sortable table. There are over 1,400 named dams and 1,300 named reservoirs in the state of California.
Dams in service
:''Please add to this list from the below sources.''
Former ...
*
List of lakes in California
External links
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Hensley LakeRecreation at Hensley Lake (Recreation.gov)
References
{{authority control
Dams in California
Reservoirs in Madera County, California
United States Army Corps of Engineers dams
Buildings and structures in Madera County, California
Earth-filled dams
Dams in the San Joaquin River basin
Reservoirs in California
Reservoirs in Northern California