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california water

County is home to approximately 48,000 people according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Its small population and large expanse of terrain offer a great place to live. It’s home to two great water supplies, the Stanislaus River and New Melones Reservoir. They are located in the Gold Country of California. It earned its name because of its history in the gold rush that brought many miners to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Elevations range from 200 feet above sea level in the northwestern region of the county to a peak of 8,170 ft above Corral Hollow near Alpine County (CCWD pg 5). The topography varies from ranch land to foothills in the Southwestern portion of the county to mountainous areas characteristic of the Sierra Nevada’s in the northeastern portions. Calaveras County is home to Big Trees State Park, which is harbored by the Stanislaus National Forest Service and holds some of the largest redwoods on the west coast.
Calaveras County shares a border with Tuolumne County, which is divided by the Stanislaus River and New Melones Reservoir. New Melones is the fifth largest reservoir in California and is the most recent completion of the Central Valley Project (USBR). After its completion it was filled, and has the capacity to hold 2.4 million-acre feet (USBR). The purpose of the reservoir was to provide flood control for the Stanislaus and San Joaquin Delta, irrigation, water storage, hydroelectricity, and for recreational use (USBR). It was a very controversial issue to construct the dam due to the effects it would cause to the Stanislaus River and surrounding communities. There was a small community that lived in the area that was to be filled with water, which forced them all to move out of the area. The town is still submerged to this day.
Calaveras County receives both rainfall and snowfall annually. Snow accounts for much of the precipitation in the higher elevations in the eastern...