Lake McClure
Sierra Sun Times file photo

March 1, 2017 - Lake McClure has fallen approximately 3 feet within the past few days and is continuing to fall. Dry weather remains in the forecast for the next week, providing a needed break in the amount of storm runoff filling the reservoir.

Lake McClure is a multi-purpose reservoir, providing flood protection, water storage and recreation. It has a capacity of 1 million acre feet and is located in the foothills of Mariposa County.

Merced Irrigation District is continuing to release water out the reservoir’s primary outlet at the base of New Exchequer Dam. This is being done to increase available reservoir space for pending runoff and future storm events bringing increased inflow to Lake McClure.

At this time, MID has no immediate expectation of using its gated spillways to make additional releases of water from Lake McClure. The reservoir is currently at 95 percent of capacity and 13 vertical feet below its maximum-operating level of 867 feet.

Out of an abundance of caution, MID recently had approximately 40 houseboats relocated away from a mooring area that is located in the general vicinity as the lake’s spillway gates. The houseboats remain fully accessible to their owners.

The Merced River watershed is continuing to experience the wettest year on record.

Currently about 4,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) is flowing into Lake McClure. At the same time, about, 7,600 CFS is being released downstream.

MID remains in daily contact with the local Office of Emergency Services.

MID expects to continue releasing high outflows of water downstream of the reservoir for several months to accommodate flows of melting snow and future precipitation.
Source: MID