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Stanislaus River
The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is 96 miles (154 km) long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about 150 miles (240 km) long. Originating as three forks in the high Sierra Nevada, the river flows generally southwest through the agricultural San Joaquin Valley to join the San Joaquin south of Manteca, draining parts of five California counties. The Stanislaus is known for its swift rapids and scenic canyons in the upper reaches, and is heavily used for irrigation, hydroelectricity and domestic water supply.
Originally inhabited by the Miwok group of Native Americans, the Stanislaus River was explored in the early 1800s by the Spanish, who conscripted indigenous people to work in the colonial mission and presidio systems. The river is named for Estanislao, who led a native uprising in Mexican-controlled California in 1828, but was ultimately defeated on the Stanislaus River (then known as the Río de los Laquisimes). During the California Gold Rush, the Stanislaus River was the destination of tens of thousands of gold seekers; many of them reached California via Sonora Pass, at the headwaters of the Middle Fork. Many miners and their families eventually settled along the lower Stanislaus River. The farms and ranches they established are now part of the richest agricultural region in the United States.
Early mining companies were formed to channel Stanislaus River water to the gold diggings via elaborate canal and flume systems, which directly preceded the irrigation districts formed by farmers who sought a greater degree of river control. Starting in the early 1900s, many dams were built to store and divert water; these were often paired with hydro-power systems, whose revenues covered the high cost of the water projects. In the 1970s the construction of the federal New Melones Dam incited major opposition from recreation and environmental groups (documented on the Stanislaus River Archive), who protested the loss of one of the last free-flowing stretches of the Stanislaus. Although New Melones was eventually built, its completion is considered to have marked the end of large dam building in the United States.
Water rights along the Stanislaus River are a controversial topic, with the senior rights of farmers coming into conflict with federal and state laws protecting endangered salmon and steelhead trout. The Stanislaus irrigation districts contend that diverting water for fish damages the local economy, especially in years of drought. Water managers have struggled to find a balance between competing needs, which also include groundwater recharge, flood control, and river-based recreation such as fishing and whitewater rafting.
The Stanislaus River headwaters consist of three forks in the high Sierra Nevada, in parts of Alpine County, Calaveras County and Tuolumne County. The Middle Fork, 46 miles (74 km) long, is the largest tributary and is sometimes considered part of the main stem. It begins in the Emigrant Wilderness of the Stanislaus National Forest about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of 9,624-foot (2,933 m) Sonora Pass. It flows northwest then west, receiving the Clark Fork below Dardanelle, before feeding Donnell Lake and Beardsley Lake, both formed by hydroelectric power dams. Below the Beardsley dam, it continues west to its confluence with the North Fork at Camp Nine, a popular swimming and fishing area near Hathaway Pines. The 31-mile-long (50 km) North Fork rises in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and flows in a generally southwest direction to its confluence with the Middle Fork, passing through several small hydropower dams. For most of their lengths, both forks flow in deep canyons through rugged, heavily forested terrain. The total length of the Stanislaus River, measured from its mouth to the head of Kennedy Creek in the Emigrant Wilderness, is about 150 miles (240 km).
The confluence of the Middle and North Forks marks the start of the Stanislaus River proper. It flows southwest through a canyon to the 12,500-acre (5,100 ha) New Melones Lake reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills, forming the boundary between Calaveras County (west) and Tuolumne County (east). At the reservoir, it is joined by the smaller South Fork, which descends for 42 miles (68 km) from the Sierra Nevada to the east. Much of State Route 108 (the Sonora Pass Highway) runs parallel to the South Fork, as well as the upper part of the Middle Fork, linking a number of small communities in the upper Stanislaus basin. At the lower end of New Melones Lake is the 625-foot (191 m) tall New Melones Dam, the sixth tallest dam in the U.S., completed in 1979 for flood control, irrigation, hydropower generation and fisheries management. Below New Melones, the river flows through the smaller Tulloch Reservoir before reaching Goodwin Dam, the oldest dam on the river (completed 1913) where large volumes of water are diverted for irrigation.
Reduced considerably in size, the Stanislaus River leaves the foothills and enters agricultural Stanislaus County at the historic Gold Rush town of Knights Ferry. It is paralleled by State Route 120 as it flows west into the Central Valley, through Oakdale, the largest town on the river, and along the northern edge of the Modesto metro area. At Riverbank it begins to form the border of Stanislaus County (south) and San Joaquin County (north). At Ripon, it is crossed by Highway 99. Below Ripon the Stanislaus flows west-southwest through a low-lying area known as River Junction and past Caswell Memorial State Park. It joins the San Joaquin River at a point about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Vernalis and 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Manteca, 75 miles (121 km) upstream (south) of the larger river's mouth at Suisun Bay.
The average unimpaired runoff of the Stanislaus River, as estimated at New Melones Dam, is 1,121,000 acre-feet (1.383 km3) per year, or about 1,500 cubic feet per second (42 m3/s). About two-thirds of the Stanislaus River flow originates as snowmelt between the months of April and July, although its highest peak flows tend to occur during winter rains. The water flow varies widely from year to year, with a historic maximum of 2,950,000 acre-feet (3.64 km3) or 4,100 cubic feet per second (120 m3/s) in the 1983 water year and a minimum of 155,000 acre-feet (0.191 km3) or 210 cubic feet per second (5.9 m3/s) in 1977. The highest monthly flow is typically in May or June with the peak of snowmelt, and the lowest in September or October before the arrival of autumn storms. Since the late 1800s, the timing of the spring melt has shifted two to six weeks earlier due to warming temperatures in the Sierra Nevada.
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Stanislaus River
The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is 96 miles (154 km) long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about 150 miles (240 km) long. Originating as three forks in the high Sierra Nevada, the river flows generally southwest through the agricultural San Joaquin Valley to join the San Joaquin south of Manteca, draining parts of five California counties. The Stanislaus is known for its swift rapids and scenic canyons in the upper reaches, and is heavily used for irrigation, hydroelectricity and domestic water supply.
Originally inhabited by the Miwok group of Native Americans, the Stanislaus River was explored in the early 1800s by the Spanish, who conscripted indigenous people to work in the colonial mission and presidio systems. The river is named for Estanislao, who led a native uprising in Mexican-controlled California in 1828, but was ultimately defeated on the Stanislaus River (then known as the Río de los Laquisimes). During the California Gold Rush, the Stanislaus River was the destination of tens of thousands of gold seekers; many of them reached California via Sonora Pass, at the headwaters of the Middle Fork. Many miners and their families eventually settled along the lower Stanislaus River. The farms and ranches they established are now part of the richest agricultural region in the United States.
Early mining companies were formed to channel Stanislaus River water to the gold diggings via elaborate canal and flume systems, which directly preceded the irrigation districts formed by farmers who sought a greater degree of river control. Starting in the early 1900s, many dams were built to store and divert water; these were often paired with hydro-power systems, whose revenues covered the high cost of the water projects. In the 1970s the construction of the federal New Melones Dam incited major opposition from recreation and environmental groups (documented on the Stanislaus River Archive), who protested the loss of one of the last free-flowing stretches of the Stanislaus. Although New Melones was eventually built, its completion is considered to have marked the end of large dam building in the United States.
Water rights along the Stanislaus River are a controversial topic, with the senior rights of farmers coming into conflict with federal and state laws protecting endangered salmon and steelhead trout. The Stanislaus irrigation districts contend that diverting water for fish damages the local economy, especially in years of drought. Water managers have struggled to find a balance between competing needs, which also include groundwater recharge, flood control, and river-based recreation such as fishing and whitewater rafting.
The Stanislaus River headwaters consist of three forks in the high Sierra Nevada, in parts of Alpine County, Calaveras County and Tuolumne County. The Middle Fork, 46 miles (74 km) long, is the largest tributary and is sometimes considered part of the main stem. It begins in the Emigrant Wilderness of the Stanislaus National Forest about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of 9,624-foot (2,933 m) Sonora Pass. It flows northwest then west, receiving the Clark Fork below Dardanelle, before feeding Donnell Lake and Beardsley Lake, both formed by hydroelectric power dams. Below the Beardsley dam, it continues west to its confluence with the North Fork at Camp Nine, a popular swimming and fishing area near Hathaway Pines. The 31-mile-long (50 km) North Fork rises in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and flows in a generally southwest direction to its confluence with the Middle Fork, passing through several small hydropower dams. For most of their lengths, both forks flow in deep canyons through rugged, heavily forested terrain. The total length of the Stanislaus River, measured from its mouth to the head of Kennedy Creek in the Emigrant Wilderness, is about 150 miles (240 km).
The confluence of the Middle and North Forks marks the start of the Stanislaus River proper. It flows southwest through a canyon to the 12,500-acre (5,100 ha) New Melones Lake reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills, forming the boundary between Calaveras County (west) and Tuolumne County (east). At the reservoir, it is joined by the smaller South Fork, which descends for 42 miles (68 km) from the Sierra Nevada to the east. Much of State Route 108 (the Sonora Pass Highway) runs parallel to the South Fork, as well as the upper part of the Middle Fork, linking a number of small communities in the upper Stanislaus basin. At the lower end of New Melones Lake is the 625-foot (191 m) tall New Melones Dam, the sixth tallest dam in the U.S., completed in 1979 for flood control, irrigation, hydropower generation and fisheries management. Below New Melones, the river flows through the smaller Tulloch Reservoir before reaching Goodwin Dam, the oldest dam on the river (completed 1913) where large volumes of water are diverted for irrigation.
Reduced considerably in size, the Stanislaus River leaves the foothills and enters agricultural Stanislaus County at the historic Gold Rush town of Knights Ferry. It is paralleled by State Route 120 as it flows west into the Central Valley, through Oakdale, the largest town on the river, and along the northern edge of the Modesto metro area. At Riverbank it begins to form the border of Stanislaus County (south) and San Joaquin County (north). At Ripon, it is crossed by Highway 99. Below Ripon the Stanislaus flows west-southwest through a low-lying area known as River Junction and past Caswell Memorial State Park. It joins the San Joaquin River at a point about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Vernalis and 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Manteca, 75 miles (121 km) upstream (south) of the larger river's mouth at Suisun Bay.
The average unimpaired runoff of the Stanislaus River, as estimated at New Melones Dam, is 1,121,000 acre-feet (1.383 km3) per year, or about 1,500 cubic feet per second (42 m3/s). About two-thirds of the Stanislaus River flow originates as snowmelt between the months of April and July, although its highest peak flows tend to occur during winter rains. The water flow varies widely from year to year, with a historic maximum of 2,950,000 acre-feet (3.64 km3) or 4,100 cubic feet per second (120 m3/s) in the 1983 water year and a minimum of 155,000 acre-feet (0.191 km3) or 210 cubic feet per second (5.9 m3/s) in 1977. The highest monthly flow is typically in May or June with the peak of snowmelt, and the lowest in September or October before the arrival of autumn storms. Since the late 1800s, the timing of the spring melt has shifted two to six weeks earlier due to warming temperatures in the Sierra Nevada.