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

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

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 Campground
offers 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.

External links

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Hensley Lake

Recreation 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

See also

External links

References