New Melones Dam is an earth and rock filled dam across the Stanislaus River creating New Melones Lake. Situated between Calaveras- and Tuolumne County, California in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Jamestown, the dam was completed in 1979 replacing the old Melones Dam.
The United States Bureau of Reclamation operates the dam. New Melones Dam's primary purpose is to provide water for irrigation. It is a 578 ft (176 m) high earth and rock-filled s...
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New Melones Dam is an earth and rock filled dam across the Stanislaus River creating New Melones Lake. Situated between Calaveras- and Tuolumne County, California in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Jamestown, the dam was completed in 1979 replacing the old Melones Dam.
The United States Bureau of Reclamation operates the dam. New Melones Dam's primary purpose is to provide water for irrigation. It is a 578 ft (176 m) high earth and rock-filled structure creating a 2,400,000 acre·ft (2,960,000 dam³) reservoir.
The dam has a hydroelectric plant with a capacity of 300 MW. It has three vertical Francis turbines and a head of 460 ft (140 m). The plant has a low capacity factor and operates as a peaking facility, which means that it operates mostly during times of peak electricity demand.
The dam was one of the last built in California, as the environmental movement gained support, and as such was fiercely opposed by groups such as the Sierra Club, as well as many individuals who saw the...
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