Lake McClure is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in the Sierra Nevada foothills of western Mariposa County, California. It is formed by the New Exchequer Dam impounding the

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through th ...

, which is a tributary of the

San Joaquin River The San Joaquin River (; es, Río San Joaquín) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suis ...

. It is about east of

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...

. The

California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, commonly referred to as OEHHA (pronounced oh-EEE-ha), is a specialized department within the cabinet-level California Environmental Protection Agency ( CalEPA) with responsibility for evaluatin ...

(OEHHA) has developed a safe eatin
advisory
for Lake McClure based on levels of mercury found in fish caught from this water body

History

The lake was first created by the original Exchequer Dam, built between 1924 and 1926, a concrete gravity arch

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

. Exchequer Reservoir's original capacity was . In 1926 its name was changed to Lake McClure to honor Wilbur Fiske McClure, Head Engineers of the State of California, who helped develop and lay out the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Mountains of California. McClure and his brother, John Clarendon McClure, also founded the town of Hacienda Heights, California.

New Exchequer Dam

New Exchequer Dam was built in 1967 to increase the reservoir's capacity to . It is a rock-fill dam with a reinforced concrete face, owned by the local Merced Irrigation District, which supplies northern

Merced County Merced County ( ), is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after ...

farms with water for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

through its approximately 800-mile (1200 km) network of

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

s. At the base of the dam is a hydroelectric plant with a capacity of 94.5 MW. Besides storing water for irrigation, the lake also provides opportunities for recreation. Only a small amount of water from the lake is used for

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

, and human contact is allowed. Activities available include boating,

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, and

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

. There is a full service marina at the lake as well.

Hang gliding Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

is popular at Lake McClure, and the site is reportedly soarable 320 days of the yea

McSwain Dam, about downstream from New Exchequer Dam, was built at the same time and creates Lake McSwain. The lake is a regulating

for releases from Lake McClure. It has a capacity of , about one percent of the capacity of Lake McClure. There is a hydroelectric plant at the dam with a capacity of 9 MW. The

has issued a safe eatin
advisory
for any fish caught in Lake McSwain due to elevated levels of mercury.

References

Merced Irrigation DistrictInformation about recreation on Lake McClure
* {{Authority control McClure Merced River McClure Gliding in the United States Hang gliding sites McClure

History

New Exchequer Dam

See also

References