User:Kelseaelizabeth/sandbox

Outline for New Lake Hogan Reservoir:

·Update basic information and background

-Town

-History

-Flooding/drought

-Adjacent rivers

·Include information about its watershed

·Add a recreational use tab

-Boating

-Skiing

-Hiking

-Disc golf course

-Day-use areas

-Fishing

-Campground locations

-Annual fireworks show: Valley Springs Boosters Club

·Ecology information (if available)

-Fish

-Birds

-Wildlife

-Native vs Nonnative species

-Plant & tree species

• Add to the intro the lake is 1,935 long.
• Add to history: USACOE, the California Department of Water Resources, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation jointly developed the operational plan for New Hogan Reservoir [1]. December
• Add to drought info: In December 2015, New Lake Hogan Reservoir was as 7% capacity, due to drought conditions [2].

Recreational uses:

New Lake Hogan Reservoir is known for its accessibility to many out-door activities. There are multiple launch ramps for boat and jet-ski users to deposit their water-crafts into the reservoir, and enjoy activities such as water-skiing, wake boarding, tubing, canoeing, sailing and fishing. The lake has two primary camp grounds for the adventure type, Acorn and Oak Knoll. Acorn campground is a 128 campsite facility which includes, coin-operated showers, flushable toilets, and accessible drinking water [3]. Oak Knoll is a more discrete site with no showers, offering 49 campsites. Oak Knoll is located just North-east of the Acorn camp, and remains closed during New Hogan Lake's off season. Other sites offer boat-in, and group camp options as well. Multiple day-use areas are available surrounding the lake including, Fiddle-neck, Bay Creek, Whiskey Creek, Slate Creek, and Wrinkle Cove. Wrinkle Cove is a free day-use area, accompanied with benches, and grills for those who would like to enjoy a nice day at the lake, but many not have a water-craft vehicle that allows them to do so. Many people gather here to enjoy swimming, and floating in the reservoir. There are many accessible locations for fishing both on, and off-shore, with a variety of fish to catch. Hiking, horseback riding, and biking are other popular recreational activities at the lake. Located at the Monte Vista Recreation area you can find the popular "River of Skulls" hiking trail, this among other trails can be found surrounding the lake [4]. In 2012 the lake added two, 18-hole disc golf courses for players to come and enjoy the rugged terrain. The western course offers holes right along the waters edge, with numerous water hazards [5]. A wonderful event which happens each year at the lake, in Valley Springs, is the forth of July fireworks show. This show is put on by the Valley Springs Boosters Club, is supervised by volunteers of the Cal Fire District, and falls on the Saturday closest to the forth.

Ecology:

New Lake Hogan Reservoir provides habitats for species both on-shore and off-shore. Several bird species exist within the lakes borders, some including quail, dove, waterfowl, and wild turkey, all of which are available to hunt within specified areas [6]. Other birds which are for viewing purposes only include vultures, bald and golden eagles, osprey, hawks, ducks, and geese [7]. Several species of fish can also be found within the lake and the connecting Calaveras River, including Central Valley (Spring) Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Central Valley steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Coastal rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus my kiss irideus), hardhead (Mylopharodon conocephalus), Prickly sculpin (Cottus asper subspecies), Riffle sculpin (Cottus gloss), Sacramento blackfish (Orthodox microlepidotus), Sacramento pike minnow (Ptychocheilus grands), and Sacramento sucker (Catostomus occidentals) [8]. Chinook salmon have experienced extreme declines in populations since to establishment of dams in California. The Calaveras River in particular has had a hug impact on this decline. Improvements on these waters ways done by CALFED’s East Side Delta Tributaries Ecological Management, seek to improve the conditions of these species, as well as the Cental Valley steelhead trout [9]. Species of fish that are commonly caught within the lakes borders include striped bass, black bass, catfish, bluegill, and crappie [10]. Blacktail deer can often be spotted near the shores of the lake, as well as cottontail rabbits, mice, raccoon, stripped skunk, gophers, coyotes, mountain lions, grey fox, bob cats, and moles. It is important while hiking, biking, or camping to be aware of Rattlesnakes, which are often found near the lake and surrounding areas. These along with other snake species are commonly spotted.

Hop Lightly Program:

The United States Army Corp of Engineers encourages visitors to exercise safe practices when visiting their lake. Hop Lightly is a program for tourists to engage respectfully with nature to protect the homes and lives of the wildlife within the lake and surrounding areas. They utilize "No Trace" principles to instill sustainability within the lake and its features [11]. You can access more information, and useful tips on how to Hop Lightly through the 'GoCalaveras' website.

Calaveras River Water Supply System:

The Calaveras river is made up primarily of naturally running water ways, and within its watershed New Lake Hogan and White Pines Lake are the primary water supply reservoirs, with the exception of a few smaller ones located upstream [12]. The watershed has three water testing plants, two of which test water directly from the Calaveras River. Those testing sights are Jenny Lind and Dr. Joe Waidhofer, both located just below New Lake Hogan Reservoir. The dam affects the quality of the water and the flows of the Calaveras River past its point of location, which are controlled by the Stockton East Water District and the United States Army Corp of Engineers. [13]. The lake itself provides the main storage for the river, storing up to 317,100 AF, and is centrally located within the watershed [14]. The powerhouse located at the base of the dam is controlled by Modesto Irrigation district, but is licensed by the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission which the Calaveras County Water District holds the rights to [15].

Jenny Lind Water Treatment Plant:

Just one mile down river from the New Lake Hogan Reservoir is the Jenny Lind Water Treatment Plant, which can be found three miles South of Valley Springs where the lakes entrance is located. The treatment plant is operated by the Calaveras County Water District, serving a population of 9,592 people [16]. The plant has a capacity of 6 million gallons per day (MGD) [17]. The facility pumps raw water directly from the river to the treatment plant, where purification begins; this is done through the use of gravity. [18]. The recent Butte Fire caused major concerns for the water quality within the Calaveras River water system. To mitigate the issues the district applied for a grant from the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal-OES) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which has been approved and scheduled for completion in 2018 [19]. The new facility will be a 3.75 million dollar project.