Map of California's interconnected water system, including all eleven reservoirs over 1,000,000 acre-feet (1.2 km3) as well as selected smaller ones.
This is a list of the largest reservoirs, or man-made lakes, in the U.S. state of California. All fifty-three reservoirs that contain over 100,000 acre-feet (0.12 km3) of water at maximum capacity are listed. This includes those formed by raising the level of natural lakes, such as at Lake Tahoe. Most large reservoirs in California are owned by the federal Bureau of Reclamation and to a lesser extent the Army Corps of Engineers, many serving the Central Valley Project or State Water Project. Smaller ones are often run by county water agencies or irrigation and flood control districts.
The state has more than one thousand major reservoirs, of which the largest two hundred have a combined capacity of over 41,000,000 acre-feet (51 km3).[1] Most large reservoirs in California are located in the central and northern portions of the state, especially along the large and flood-prone rivers of the Central Valley. Eleven reservoirs have a storage capacity greater than or equal to 1,000,000 acre-feet (1.2 km3); all of these except one are in or on drainages that feed into the Central Valley. The largest single reservoir in California is Shasta Lake, with a full volume of more than 4,552,000 acre-feet (5.615 km3).
^Volume given is the maximum flood pool, not the operational or live storage capacity.
^Not always applicable to off-stream reservoirs.
^In the case of reservoirs with more than one main dam holding it back (e.g. Diamond Valley Lake), the name of the highest one will be given (in this case, the West Dam).
^San Luis Reservoir receives most of its water from the California Aqueduct.
^This lake is natural, but was raised about 10 feet (3.0 m) by Lake Tahoe Dam, built in 1913.
^Castaic Lake receives most of its water from the West Branch California Aqueduct.
^The reservoir behind Prado Dam is usually empty or close to empty because its primary purpose is flood control. Typical wet season storage is only about 20,000 to 45,000 acre-feet (0.025 to 0.056 km3).
^Clear Creek provides a significant portion of the reservoir inflow, but more water enters via the Clear Creek Tunnel, which diverts water from the Trinity River.
^Most of the water supplying the reservoir is diverted from the Middle Fork American River through penstocks for power generation.
References
^"California's Water: Storing Water". California Water Series. Association of California Water Agencies. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^ a b"Shasta Dam Hydraulics and Hydrology". Shasta/Trinity River Division Project. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 2009-06-04. Archived from the original on 2011-12-04. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
^"USGS Gage #11406800 on Lake Oroville near Oroville, CA (Water-Data Report 2008)" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1967–2008. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
^"Shasta/Trinity River Division Project". Central Valley Project. U.S. Bureau of Division. 2011-04-21. Archived from the original on 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
^"New Melones Unit Project". Central Valley Project. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 2010-05-26. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
^"San Luis Unit Project". West San Joaquin Division. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 2011-04-21. Archived from the original on 2011-11-12. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
^ a b c"Alphabetical List of California Dams (over 40,000 acre feet)". Civil and Environmental Engineering. University of California Davis. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^"USGS Gage #11446200 on Folsom Lake near Folsom, CA" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1955–2007. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^"Legislation Introduced in Congress Allows Consideration for Increased Storage at Lake McClure" (PDF). Merced Irrigation District. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
^"2010/11 Budget" (PDF). Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. 2009-07-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^Serafini, David C.; Rose, Ronn S. "Overview of the Isabella Dam Potential Failure Modes Workshop" (PDF). Collaborative Management of Integrated Watersheds. United States Society on Dams. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^"Camanche Reservoir at South Shore Recreation Area – Monitoring Site Information" (PDF). California State Water Resources Control Board. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^Faghih, Jafar (1999-06-11). "Warm Springs Dam". Civil and Environmental Engineering. University of California Davis. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
^Rosekrans, Spreck; Carlin, Michael (March 2005). "Point/Counterpoint: Hetch Hetchy Valley Restoration" (PDF). Southwest Hydrology. University of Arizona. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^"Castaic Lake" (PDF). California State Water Project. California Department of Water Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^"Lower Calaveras River Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Life History Limiting Factors Analysis" (PDF). U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
^"USGS Gage #11277200 on Cherry Lake near Hetch Hetchy, CA" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1956–2008. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
