Little Panoche Creek, an ephemeral creek, begins in the Glaucopane Ridge in San Benito County. It then flows into western Fresno County where it is dammed at Little Panoche Detention Dam. The dam was built between 1965 and 1966 to detain floodwater collected over 81.3 square miles and to protect the integrity of the San Luis Canal (Reclamation owned portion of the California Aqueduct). The dam acts as a sediment trap and prevents flooding of the San Luis Canal and land downstream of the dam.
It is an earthen dam with a height of 151 feet and a length of 1,440 feet and has a capacity of 13,270 acre feet. Outflow passes through an outlet spillway into the creek. Maximum discharge is 3,220 cubic feet per second. Little Panoche Detention Dam is a joint-use facility owned by Reclamation and operated and maintained by the Department of Water Resources.
General
Project
Central Valley
Watercourse
Little Panoche Creek
Original Construction
1965-1966
Reservoir
Little Panoche
National ID Number
CA10166
Dimensions
Structural Height
151.0 ft
Spillway Crest Elevation
641.5 ft
Streambed at Dam Axis
556.0 ft
Crest Elevation
676.0 ft
Hydraulic Height (Normal Operating Depth at Dam)
85.0 ft
Top of Dead Storage Pool (Elevation)
590.0 ft
Hydraulics & Hydrology
Spillway Capacity at Elevation
3220 cfs at 670.4 ft
Outlet Works Capacity at Elevation
1040 cfs at 670.4 ft
Drainage Area
81.8 sq mi
Hydrometeorological Report (HMR)
HMR 58
Auxiliary Spillway
No
Contact
Owner
Title: Area Office Manager Organization: South-Central California Area Office Address: 1243 "N" Street City: Fresno, CA 93721-1813 Phone: 559-262-0300
Operator
Organization: California Department of Water Resources Address: San Luis Field Division City: Gustine, CA 93522 Phone: 209-827-5100
More Information about the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
