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O'Neill Forebay: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 37°05′00″N 121°02′33″W / 37.0832°N 121.0426°W / 37.0832; -121.0426
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[[Category:Landforms of Merced County, California]]
[[Category:Landforms of Merced County, California]]
[[Category:Reservoirs in California]]

Revision as of 13:55, 20 December 2011

O'Neill Forebay
StandortMerced County, California
Coordinates37°05′00″N 121°02′33″W / 37.0832°N 121.0426°W / 37.0832; -121.0426
TypReservoir
Primary inflowsCalifornia Aqueduct
Delta–Mendota Canal
San Luis Reservoir
Primary outflowsCalifornia Aqueduct
Catchment area18 acres (7.3 ha)
Basin countriesVereinigte Staaten
Max. length3
Max. width3
Surface area2,250 acres (910 ha)
Max. depth17
Water volume56,400 acre⋅ft (69,600,000 m3)
Shore length119
Surface elevation71
ReferencesU.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: O'Neill Forebay
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

O'Neill Forebay is a forebay to the San Luis Reservoir created by the construction of O'Neill Dam across San Luis Creek approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Los Banos, California, on the eastern slopes of the Pacific Coast Ranges of Merced County.

Background

Roughly 2.5 miles (4.0 km) downstream from the San Luis Dam, O'Neill Forbay collects irregular water releases from the San Luis Dam and William R. Gianelli Powerplant in its 56,400 acre⋅ft (69,600,000 m3) basin. A morning-glory type spillway lies at the left bank of the reservoir. The reservoir is fed by releases from the San Luis Dam as well as from the Delta–Mendota Canal. Water from the Delta–Mendota Canal is lifted a vertical distance of 8 feet (2.4 m) into a channel running 2,200 feet (670 m) into the forebay.[1]

O'Neill Dam

O'Neill Dam, constructed from 1963 to 1967, is an 87.5 feet (26.7 m) high, earthfill and rockfill dam, stretching over three miles (5 km) across the valley of San Luis Creek. With a maximum reservoir depth of 57 feet (17 m), peak inflow to the forebay is 15,600 cubic feet (440 m3) per second, from both the San Luis Dam and the Delta–Mendota Canal. Drainage area of the reservoir downstream of the San Luis Dam is only 18 acres (0.073 km2). The O’Neill Pumping-Generating Plant produces 28,000 kilowatts.[1]

Recreation

Notably, the largest striped bass caught in California was caught in the O’Neill Forebay. The fish, 52.5 inches (1,330 mm) long and weighing 70.6 pounds (32.0 kg), was caught on August 5, 2008 by Frank Ualat of Gilroy, California.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Bureau of Reclamation. "O'Neill Dam". U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  2. ^ "Angler Catches 71.60 Lb. Striped Bass At O'Neill Forebay". The Fish Sniffer. Retrieved 2009-04-28.