USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 11436950

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	00054 Reservoir storage(Obs.)

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Water year 2023: 2022-10-01 to 2023-09-30

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USGS Water-Year Summary 2023

11436950 Caples Lake near Kirkwood, CA

LOCATION - Lat 38°42'27", long 120°02'55" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in SW 1/4 SW 1/4 sec.18, T.10 N., R.18 E., Alpine County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 18020129, Eldorado National Forest, on Caples Lake Dam near the center of the earthfill portion, and 1.3 mi east of Kirkwood.

DRAINAGE AREA - 13.5 mi².

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - October 1985 to current year. Unpublished records for water years 1981-85 available in files of the U.S. Geological Survey.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder since Oct. 1, 1991. Datum of gage is 7,894.0 ft above NGVD of 1929 (levels by Pacific Gas and Electric Company). Prior to Oct. 1, 1991, nonrecording gage read periodically except for Oct. 16, 1986, to Sept. 30, 1987; Dec. 18, 1990, to May 26, 1991; and July 30 to Sept. 16, 1991, when there was a water-stage recorder at same site and datum.

COOPERATION - Records were collected by El Dorado Irrigation District, under general supervision of the U.S. Geological Survey, in connection with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission project no. 184.

REMARKS - Lake is formed by one earthfill and one concrete dam at spillway; dam was completed and storage began in 1924. Contents based on capacity table dated Sept. 30, 1999. Capacity, 22,338 acre-ft, between gage heights 6.0 and 62.0 ft, top of 3 ft of flashboards; capacity, 20,493 acre-ft, at spillway level. Released water is measured at Caples Creek Release (station 11436999). When gage height is above spillway crest of 59.0 ft, there is leakage or spill which is not measured. Released water is used for power development on South Fork American River. Figures given, including extremes, represent usable contents at 2400 hours. See schematic diagram of South Fork American River Basin available from the California Water Science Center.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum contents, 22,505 acre-ft, June 28, 29, 2003, gage height, 62.27 ft; minimum, 758 acre-ft, Oct. 29, 2008, gage height, 12.17 ft.