The Middle Fork Stanislaus River is a tributary of the

Stanislaus River The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about long. Originating as three forks in the high ...

in the central

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

and

Stanislaus National Forest Stanislaus National Forest is a U.S. National Forest which manages of land in four counties in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. It was established on February 22, 1897, making it one of the oldest national forests. It was named after t ...

of eastern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Geography

The river begins at the confluence of Kennedy Creek and Summit Creek in the

Emigrant Wilderness The Emigrant Wilderness of Stanislaus National Forest is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada. It is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest and the Hoover Wilderness on the east, and State Route 108 ...

. It flows initially northwest, receiving the Clark Fork from the right then turning southwest, through a deep canyon to its confluence with the

North Fork Stanislaus River The North Fork Stanislaus River is a tributary of the Stanislaus River in the central Sierra Nevada and Stanislaus National Forest of eastern California. Geography The river flows southwest from Alpine County, through Calaveras County, to Tuolum ...

, forming the Stanislaus River. The river drains a watershed of in

Tuolumne County Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises the ...

, much of it within the

Power and water infrastructure

There are four dams on the

main stem In hydrology, a mainstem (or trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". Water enters the mainstem from the river's drainage basin, the land area through which the mainstem and its tributaries flow.. A ...

of the Middle Fork – at Donnells, Beardsley, Beardsley Forebay and Sand Bar Flat. The only significant tributary impoundment is Relief Reservoir, formed by

Relief Dam Relief Dam is a rockfill dam on Summit Creek, a tributary of the Middle Fork Stanislaus River, in Tuolumne County, California. The dam is part of the Spring Gap-Stanislaus Hydroelectric Project, and is owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric ...

on Summit Creek. Middle Fork water is managed by the Spring Gap–Stanislaus

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

project, owned by

Pacific Gas and Electric The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 milli ...

, and the Tri-Dam project owned by the Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts. Tunnels connect the four mainstem reservoirs to take advantage of the

hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22. It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, ...

created by the Middle Fork's steep drop. The final tunnel, from Sand Bar Flat, enters the main Stanislaus River about below the mouth of the Middle Fork, at the head of

New Melones Lake New Melones Lake is a reservoir on the Stanislaus River in the central Sierra Nevada foothills, within Calaveras County and Tuolumne County, California. The New Melones Dam and reservoir are a water collection and transfer unit of the Central Va ...

reservoir. As a result, much of the Middle Fork is dewatered during the drier months.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanislaus River, Middle Fork * Rivers of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Rivers of Tuolumne County, California Stanislaus National Forest Rivers of Northern California Rivers of the Sierra Nevada in California

Geography

Power and water infrastructure

See also

References