Naraghi Lake
Encyclopedia
Naraghi Lake is a man made lake
in northeast Modesto, California
.
Naraghi Lake was excavated in the 1980's as one of a planned series of water features for a large complex of residential and commercial development straddling both sides of Oakdale road. The lake is named after the Naraghi family, who were at one time large landowners in the area, and who planned the initial development. Shortly after excavating the lake, the Naraghi development was scrapped because of financial and market problems, leaving the lake as the only evidence of the plan that had been scrapped. The lake remains the property of the Naraghi family to this day, it was left open to the public for fishing
and recreational use until 2004, when liability issues and problems related to people dumping invasive species
into the lake including a fish
related to the piranha
finally prompted the Naraghi's to fence off the perimeter. Over the years, numerous proposals for the land and the lake have been discussed, including converting it into a city park
, building private residences around its perimeter, and building apartment or office complexes around the property. Most of these plans are hamstrung by the now-limited amount of land available around the lake (because the surrounding land was sold off and subsequently developed), and have not been pursued beyond the discussion phase.
Most of the water in Naraghi Lake is naturally occurring due to the very shallow water table in this part of Modesto. It was built by simply excavating a hole in the otherwise flat terrain, and permitting natural groundwater to flow in. Prior to the installation of surface drainage systems for agriculture in the early 20th century, the entire area was a large natural marshland. Naraghi Lake actually benefits the surrounding neighborhoods by acting as an evaporation pond
, drawing in water that might otherwise cause foundation subsidence or other problems with the streets and structures. For aesthetic reasons, the lake water is occasionally supplemented by pumped water during late summer and during dry years, when the natural water table falls.
The surface area of the lake is 13 acres. The commonly found fish in the lake are Largemouth Bass
, Smallmouth Bass
, Crappie
, Catfish
, Spotted Bass
, White Bass
, Striped Bass
, and Trout
. Other wildlife
like ducks and geese can also be found in and near the lake.
The lake is currently owned by the Naraghi Family.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in northeast Modesto, California
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
.
Naraghi Lake was excavated in the 1980's as one of a planned series of water features for a large complex of residential and commercial development straddling both sides of Oakdale road. The lake is named after the Naraghi family, who were at one time large landowners in the area, and who planned the initial development. Shortly after excavating the lake, the Naraghi development was scrapped because of financial and market problems, leaving the lake as the only evidence of the plan that had been scrapped. The lake remains the property of the Naraghi family to this day, it was left open to the public for fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and recreational use until 2004, when liability issues and problems related to people dumping invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
into the lake including a fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
related to the piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
finally prompted the Naraghi's to fence off the perimeter. Over the years, numerous proposals for the land and the lake have been discussed, including converting it into a city park
City Park
City Park can refer to:Australia*Launceston City ParkCanada* City Park, Saskatoon, a neighbourhoodHungary* City Park Kenya* City Park, NairobiLuxembourg* City Park , a park in central Luxembourg CityUnited Kingdom...
, building private residences around its perimeter, and building apartment or office complexes around the property. Most of these plans are hamstrung by the now-limited amount of land available around the lake (because the surrounding land was sold off and subsequently developed), and have not been pursued beyond the discussion phase.
Most of the water in Naraghi Lake is naturally occurring due to the very shallow water table in this part of Modesto. It was built by simply excavating a hole in the otherwise flat terrain, and permitting natural groundwater to flow in. Prior to the installation of surface drainage systems for agriculture in the early 20th century, the entire area was a large natural marshland. Naraghi Lake actually benefits the surrounding neighborhoods by acting as an evaporation pond
Evaporation pond
Evaporation ponds are artificial ponds with very large surface areas that are designed to efficiently evaporate water by sunlight and exposure to the ambient temperatures.- Uses :...
, drawing in water that might otherwise cause foundation subsidence or other problems with the streets and structures. For aesthetic reasons, the lake water is occasionally supplemented by pumped water during late summer and during dry years, when the natural water table falls.
The surface area of the lake is 13 acres. The commonly found fish in the lake are Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, Crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, Catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, Spotted Bass
Spotted bass
The Spotted Bass , also called "Spotty", "Leeman", or "Spots" in various fishing communities, is a species of freshwater fish sunfish family of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin and across theGulf States, from central Texas through the Florida...
, White Bass
White bass
The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass (MoroneIt is the state fish of Oklahoma.- Range :White bass are distributed widely across the United States, particularly in the midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie...
, Striped Bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
, and Trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
. Other wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
like ducks and geese can also be found in and near the lake.
The lake is currently owned by the Naraghi Family.