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Water-Year Summary for Site 11427400

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Available Parameters
00054 Reservoir storage(Obs.)  

Water year 2023: 2022-10-01 to 2023-09-30
 
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USGS Water-Year Summary 2023
11427400 French Meadows Reservoir near Foresthill, CA
LOCATION - Lat 39°06'32", long 120°25'49" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in SW 1/4 NE 1/4 sec.32, T.15 N., R.14 E., Placer County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 18020128, in Tahoe National Forest, on left bank, 2.2 mi upstream from French Meadows Dam on Middle Fork American River, 6.9 mi upstream from Chipmunk Creek, and 21 mi northeast of Foresthill.
DRAINAGE AREA - 47 mi².
SURFACE-WATER RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD - December 1964 to current year.
GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is NGVD of 1929 (levels by Placer County Water Agency).
COOPERATION - Records provided by Placer County Water Agency, under general supervision of the U.S. Geological Survey, in connection with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission project no. 2079.
REMARKS - Reservoir is formed by rock-fill dam with earth core. Storage began Dec. 21, 1964. Contents based on capacity table 1.0, dated 1965. Usable capacity, 125,601 acre-ft, between elevations 5,125 ft, minimum operating level, and 5,263 ft, top of radial gates. Dead storage, 10,804 acre-ft. Reservoir is used to store water for hydroelectric power. Up to 400 ft³/s diverted from Duncan Creek through a tunnel to reservoir. Water is released through a tunnel to French Meadows Powerplant (station 11427200) at Hell Hole Reservoir (station 11428700) on the Rubicon River; releases began Dec. 13, 1965. Records, excluding extremes, represent contents at 2400 hours. See schematic diagram of Middle Fork American and Rubicon River Basins available from the California Water Science Center.
EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Prior to Oct. 1, 2008, maximum contents at 2400 hours, 137,700 acre-ft, May 19, 1966, elevation, 5,263.9 ft. Since Oct. 1, 2008, maximum contents, 133,500 acre-ft, June 3, 4, 2009, elevation, 5,260.93 ft. Minimum since reservoir first filled, 28,500 acre-ft, Oct. 21-24, 1991, elevation, 5,157.6 ft.