New Melones Lake - CA 49 (#0519)

Bridge for CA-49, and the high water line for New Melones Lake, which is not a lake but a reservoir. New Melones Lake (reservoir) is on the Stanislaus river and is part of the Central Valley project that provides agricultural (your vegetables) and urban water for much of the Central Valley. The dam was completed in 1978 and the reservoir covers an earlier smaller dam and the former town of Mellones (see adjacent photo).

See the Wikipedia on the reservoir: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Melones_Lake

On April 30 (3 days before the picture), the reservoir was at 41% of average for the date: cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reservoirs/STORAGE