15 months ago
ALPINE COUNTY, CA - It may seem strange to intentionally drain a high Sierra lake while California is gripped by drought. But the lake's operator said it had no choice.
The El Dorado Irrigation District discovered two failing spillway gates on Caples Lake during an underwater inspection in June and engineers say the only way to replace them is to drain the lake. The gates date back to the 1920's when the lake was operated by PG&E.
The district began drawing down Caples Lake July 19 and expects the water to reach of depth of 6 feet at the main dam in late September. At that depth, crews can install a temporary "bladder dam" to allow them to work on the spillway while keeping at least some water in the lake.
Three hundred acre feet of water per day has been shooting through the spillway into the Silver Fork of the American River. The water comes as a windfall to drought-stricken Folsom Lake downriver.
But that's little consolation to the Caples Lake Resort, which has seen its business drop off along with the lake level.
"We have zero people here and this is my high season," said resort manager Richard Haurlan. "July and August are my two busiest months, they basically make the whole year."
Anglers are encouraged to catch what they can as the lake's fish become concentrated in an ever-shrinking pool.
The Department of Fish and Game plans a fish rescue operation later this month and will transplant as many fish as possible into nearby Silver Lake, according to El Dorado Irrigation District spokeswoman Deanne Kloepfel.
After the lake has been re-filled, the district will spend an estimated $200,000 restocking it with fish, Kloepfel said.
News10/KXTV
