The Middle Fork Stanislaus River is a tributary of the
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 long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about long. Originating as three forks in the h ...
in the central
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...
and
Stanislaus National Forest
Stanislaus National Forest is a National forest (United States), U.S. national forest which manages of land in four counties in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. It was established on February 22, 1897, making it one of the oldest natio ...
of eastern
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
Geography
The river begins at the confluence of Kennedy Creek and Summit Creek in the
Emigrant Wilderness. It flows initially northwest, receiving the Clark Fork from the right then turning southwest, through a deep canyon to its confluence with the
North Fork Stanislaus River, forming the Stanislaus River. The river drains a watershed of
in
Tuolumne County
Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora.
Tuolumne County comprises the ...
, much of it within the
Stanislaus National Forest
Stanislaus National Forest is a National forest (United States), U.S. national forest which manages of land in four counties in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. It was established on February 22, 1897, making it one of the oldest natio ...
.
Power and water infrastructure
There are four dams on the
main stem
In hydrology, a main stem or mainstem (also known as a trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". The mainstem extends all the way from one specific headwater to the outlet of the river, although t ...
of the Middle Fork – at
Donnells,
Beardsley Beardsley may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places in the United States
* Beardsley, Arizona, a populated place
* Beardsley, Kansas, a ghost town
* Beardsley, Minnesota, a city
* Beardsley Canal, Kern County, California, an irrigation canal
* Beardsley Creek, ...
, Beardsley Forebay and Sand Bar Flat. The only significant tributary impoundment is Relief Reservoir, formed by
Relief Dam on Summit Creek. Middle Fork water is managed by the Spring Gap–Stanislaus
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
project, owned by
Pacific Gas and Electric
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered at Kaiser Center, in Oakland, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 million households in the norther ...
, and the Tri-Dam project owned by the Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts.
Tunnels connect the four mainstem reservoirs to take advantage of the
hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a measurement related to liquid pressure (normalized by specific weight) and the liquid elevation above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22, eq.3.2a.
It is usually meas ...
created by the Middle Fork's steep drop. The final tunnel, from Sand Bar Flat, enters the main Stanislaus River about below the mouth of the Middle Fork, at the head of
New Melones Lake
New Melones Lake is a reservoir on the Stanislaus River in the central Sierra Nevada foothills, within Calaveras County and Tuolumne County, California.
The New Melones Dam and reservoir are a water collection and transfer unit of the United ...
reservoir. As a result, much of the Middle Fork is dewatered during the drier months.
See also
*
*
List of rivers of California
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of California, grouped by region. Major lakes and reservoirs, if applicable, are indicated in italics.
North Coast (north of Humboldt Bay)
Rivers and streams between the Oregon border and Humboldt Bay t ...
*
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanislaus River, Middle Fork
*
Rivers of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Rivers of Tuolumne County, California
Stanislaus National Forest
Rivers of Northern California
Rivers of the Sierra Nevada in California