Open The Gates - Water Returns Back To Shaver Lake
December 13, 2011
WATER RETURNS BACK TO SHAVER LAKE
From noon until 1pm, the body of water in front of the new dam spread north toward the Sierra ramp by 30 yards. SCE officials said they felt that the water would reach the ramp within one month. That means boaters MAY be able to launch by April 1st or at least midway in April. By then thousands of new resident trout to 5 pounds will have been, "quietly", planted.
According to the SCE official I spoke to, the water in flow is at about 200 CF per minute. This will continue until most of the lake bottom is covered, then it will open up to about 500 CF per minute. This is to decrease the chance of soot from the bottom of the lake to be pushed to the base of the dam. The water is murky now due to soot from the creek beds but as the water levels off, the soot will fall to the bottom and the lake will regain it's pristine appearance.
Within a day, the old dam may disappear for ,"ever". It is the last chance to witness it now.
If you missed out on checking out the lowering of the lake, here are some historic pictures from this winter. These pictures are amazing!!
CHECK OUT THE ABC 30 STORY:
They have been excavating at the base of the dam so they can apply the
rubber boot lower on the face of the dam.
For this phase, they have let out more water and it is about as low as it can go?
A stream comes into the lake over on the upper-left section of the lake bed
somewhere (back by the far trees in the background) and it wanders across
the lake bed and exits at the dam over on the right.
In the image above, the "old" dam (used pre-1920) is barely seen in the shadows
near the center of the image. The "old" dam held back the "old" lake towards the
background, i.e. the lake was on the the far side of the "old" dam, feed by the creek.
The old saw mill and town were on this side of the old dam, i.e. in the foreground
of the image above. A flume carrying the logs from the saw mill down to Clovis
went down the hill starting where the new dam is currently sitting.
They have the area fenced off, but this is not an issue if you have good optics ...
The creek wandering across the lake bed is seen here as it approaches the "old" dam
from the far side of the dam (the top of the old dam is barely seen in the foreground
of this image)
Then the old dam (rock & earth) is seen here, with a spillway letting the water out of the
bottom of the old dam
Over on the left, we see some old stone structures and equipment
And zooming in on the spill way ....
It is sort of surprising to me that what appears to be a wooden structure is
still standing and appears to still work after 90 yrs of being under water.
The lake bed has a feeling like space ship Rover was taking the images ...
where no man has walked in 100yrs, frozen in time ...
Obviously, the historic Shaver Lake dam project is short term and the beauty of Shaver Lake will return.
In the spring 2012, SCE will begin raising the lake so that it will be at normal levels for the 2012 summer season. SCE and the Department of Fish and Game will restock the lake with a variety of fish, including trophy size fish.
The public does not have physical access to the lake bottom or the old millpond site because SCE is required to keep the public safe from extreme muddy conditions and protect historic artifacts in place. The public does not have access to the lakebed during the project. Security will be in place for public safety and to ensure compliance. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the lake bottom and take photos.
Don’t miss this rare occasion to see Shaver Lake like you’ve never seen it before.
