Mokelumne River

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Coordinates: 38°05′46″N 121°34′12″W / 38.09611°N 121.57000°W / 38.09611; -121.57000
Mokelumne River
Mokelumne River 0001.jpg
Country United States
State California
Source Confluence of North and Middle Forks
 - location Sierra Nevada, Amador/Calaveras Counties
 - elevation 916 ft (279 m)
 - coordinates 38°22′20″N 120°36′38″W / 38.37222°N 120.61056°W / 38.37222; -120.61056 [1]
Mouth Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
 - location Walnut Grove, San Joaquin County
 - elevation 0 ft (0 m)
 - coordinates 38°05′46″N 121°34′12″W / 38.09611°N 121.57000°W / 38.09611; -121.57000 [1]
Length 95 mi (153 km) [2]
Basin 2,143 sq mi (5,550 km2) [3]
Discharge for below Camanche Dam
 - average 776 cu ft/s (22 m3/s) [4]
 - max 28,800 cu ft/s (816 m3/s)
 - min 23 cu ft/s (1 m3/s)

The Mokelumne River (pron.: /məˈkʌləmni/) is a river in Northern California. The Upper Mokelumne River originates in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and flows into Pardee Reservoir and then Camanche Reservoir in the Sierra foothills. The Lower Mokelumne River refers to the portion of the river below Camanche Dam. It crosses California's Central Valley, flowing westward through Lodi, California, and ultimately meeting its confluence with the San Joaquin River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The river crosses or forms the border of five California counties: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin, and Sacramento.

The name is Plains Miwok and is constructed from moke, meaning fishnet, and -umne, a suffix meaning "people of".[5] The town of Mokelumne Hill was named for the river in about 1850.

Contents

Recreational uses [edit]

The Mokelumne River is home to five notable Whitewater Kayak runs: Fantasy Falls, Devil's Nose, Tiger Creek Dam, Ponderosa and Electra-Middle Bar. Fantasy Falls, a Class V+, 26-mile wilderness reach, runs from below Highway 4 in Alpine County to the backwaters of Salt Springs Reservoir. Devil's Nose, Class IV-V, runs 17 miles from Salt Springs Dams to Tiger Creek Powerhouse. Below Tiger Creek Dam is the Tiger Creek Dam Whitewater run, a scenic, 3 mile Class IV run. The Ponderosa run goes from Ponderosa Way to Electra Powerhouse. The westernmost run is Electra-Middle Bar, a 5+-mile Class II-III run. It begins just below the Electra Powerhouse and ends at the Middle Bar Bridge.

The Mokelumne is also a popular site for fishing, camping, water play, birding, picnics, gold panning, spring wildflower watching, and other activities. Electra Road, just east of Highway 49, is a popular place to run, walk, and enjoy the river. The large granite domes, Calaveras Dome and Hammer Dome, near Salt Springs Reservoir, are popular for technical rock climbing. Three campgrounds are also located near Salt Springs: Mokelumne River, White Azalea, and Moore Creek.

Above Salt Springs Reservoir, the Mokelumne Wilderness challenges those who seek a true wilderness experience. Backpacking in this federally designated wilderness area requires good back-country skills.

The lower Mokelumne River passing through Lodi, California.

Recent conflicts [edit]

In its original 2040 long-range water plan, issued in 2009, the East Bay Municipal Utility District approved an optional expansion of Pardee Reservoir [1]. The expansion would have flooded more than a mile of the river as well as unique cultural and historic sites. A broad coalition of local governments, conservation, recreation and fishery advocates opposed the reservoir expansion. Foothill Conservancy, Friends of the River [2] and California Sportfishing Protection Alliance [3] sued EBMUD in November 2009. In April 2011, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley ruled in the groups' favor and voided the EBMUD plan.[6] On December 5, 2011, East Bay Municipal Utility District announced that the soon-to-be released revised draft environmental impact report for its revised water plan would not recommend the controversial reservoir expansion.[7] On April 24, 2012, the utility's board voted 7-0 to remove the Pardee expansion from its 2040 water plan. [8]

Tributaries [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b "Mokelumne River". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. 1981-01-19. Retrieved 2012-04-01. 
  2. ^ ACME Mapper. USGS Topo Maps for United States (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. http://mapper.acme.com/. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  3. ^ "Boundary Descriptions and Names of Regions, Subregions, Accounting Units and Cataloging Units". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2012-04-01. 
  4. ^ "USGS Gage #11323500 on the Mokelumne River below Camanche Dam, CA". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1931–2010. Retrieved 2012-04-01. 
  5. ^ Bright, William (1998). 1500 California Place Names: their origin and meaning. University of California Press; Berkeley, California, 1998. ISBN: 0-520-21271-1.
  6. ^ Zito, Kelly (2011-05-12). "EBMUD set back by Pardee Reservoir ruling". The San Francisco Chronicle. 
  7. ^ http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/12/05/18701836.php
  8. ^ http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/27/18712234.php

External links [edit]

Rivers of California's Central Valley watershed (north-to-south)
Sacramento River Valley
San Joaquin River Valley
Tulare Basin
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