New Exchequer Dam
Encyclopedia
New Exchequer Dam is an earthfill dam on the Merced River
in central California
. It is mainly used by the Merced Irrigation District (MID) to provide irrigation water to several hundred square miles of the San Joaquin Valley
surrounding the line of the Merced River.
The dam was built to increase the storage provided by the original concrete-arch Exchequer Dam, built in 1926 at a cost of $16 million. While the original dam could hold just 281000 acre.ft, the new dam more than tripled the volume of stored water to 1024600 acre.ft. Construction on the new dam began in 1964 and was completed in 1967. The reservoir was originally called Exchequer Reservoir for a town now submerged under its waters, but was renamed Lake McClure
in honor of Wilbur F. McClure, the State Engineer of California during construction.
In recent years, MID has proposed raising the spillway gates of the dam, which would provide up to 70000 acre.ft of additional storage. However, this has met with controversy because it would result in part-time flooding of a portion of the Merced River designated Wild and Scenic
.
Merced River
The Merced River , in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, and the...
in central California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is mainly used by the Merced Irrigation District (MID) to provide irrigation water to several hundred square miles of the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
surrounding the line of the Merced River.
The dam was built to increase the storage provided by the original concrete-arch Exchequer Dam, built in 1926 at a cost of $16 million. While the original dam could hold just 281000 acre.ft, the new dam more than tripled the volume of stored water to 1024600 acre.ft. Construction on the new dam began in 1964 and was completed in 1967. The reservoir was originally called Exchequer Reservoir for a town now submerged under its waters, but was renamed Lake McClure
Lake McClure
Lake McClure is a artificial lake in western Mariposa County, California, about east of Modesto. It is formed by New Exchequer Dam on the Merced River, a tributary of the San Joaquin River, and its capacity is . It is a rock-fill dam with a reinforced concrete face and was completed in 1967...
in honor of Wilbur F. McClure, the State Engineer of California during construction.
In recent years, MID has proposed raising the spillway gates of the dam, which would provide up to 70000 acre.ft of additional storage. However, this has met with controversy because it would result in part-time flooding of a portion of the Merced River designated Wild and Scenic
National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...
.