New Hogan Lake Water Level
New Hogan Lake is at 665.97 ft today (Oct 31), 47.03 ft below its 713 ft full pool, down 0.33 ft this week.
California · Calaveras River
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Water level history
About New Hogan Lake
New Hogan Lake is a reservoir on the Calaveras River in California, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 713 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding New Hogan Lake's water level
New Hogan Lake is the second dam Stockton built its hopes on. The first, Hogan Dam, was a concrete structure the City of Stockton began in June 1924 and finished in September 1930, 136 feet high and holding 115,000 acre-feet, named for city engineer turned city manager Walter Byron Hogan. The town of Petersburg was condemned to make room for it. It was meant to end the flood fear Stockton had lived with since 1907, but the Calaveras River flooded again in December 1955 and in 1958. The Army Corps of Engineers then built New Hogan Dam immediately below the old one, an embankment 210 feet high and 1,960 feet long, finished in 1963. When the new reservoir filled to capacity two years later, the old dam disappeared under it, and it still sits beneath the lake today.
The number to know is 713 feet. That is gross pool, the top of the flood control space, where the lake holds 317,100 acre-feet across about 4,400 acres and backs up nearly eight miles to where the North and South Forks of the Calaveras meet. Above it is surcharge to 720 feet, and the top of the dam is 725. At the other end, 586 feet marks the top of the inactive pool, about 14,900 acre-feet that is not released. The level follows a steady yearly rhythm: it climbs through winter and spring, usually peaks in April or May, then falls through summer and fall as water goes downstream, bottoming out around November or December. Flood rules shape the fall. When storage is above 152,000 acre-feet on October 15, the extra is released, typically between mid October and the end of November, and those releases are timed to help salmon and steelhead migrating up the Calaveras.
Most of what New Hogan stores is drinking and irrigation water for San Joaquin and Calaveras counties. Supply comes through a Bureau of Reclamation contract, and a 1970 agreement between Stockton East Water District and Calaveras County Water District guarantees Stockton East 56.5 percent of the reservoir's yield. That water feeds the Dr. Joe Waidhofer treatment plant, running since 1978, and Stockton East says it supplies up to 80 percent of Stockton's drinking water. A 3.15 megawatt powerhouse added in 1986 generates from releases, and a habitat plan requires at least 25 cubic feet per second downstream year round. Because the district manages storage conservatively against drought, a low fall reading is normal here. On the water, the Acorn launch ramp has three boarding floats and parking for 250 trailers, and Deer Flat is a boat in campground reached by launching at Fiddleneck.
New Hogan Lake — frequently asked
What is New Hogan Lake's full pool elevation?
713 feet. That is the gross pool, the top of the flood control space, where the reservoir holds 317,100 acre-feet. The Corps lists the top of conservation at 712.99 feet, surcharge to 720 feet, and the top of the dam at 725 feet. The lake is seldom near 713; in the state's daily record since 1985 it has come within two feet of it only once, in April 2006.
What is the highest New Hogan Lake has been?
In California's daily reservoir record, which begins in 1985, the high mark is 711.59 feet on April 5, 2006, with 311,058 acre-feet in storage, about a foot and a half under gross pool. The next highest springs were May 1995 at 708.58 feet and February 2017 at 696.29 feet. The wet year of 2023 topped out at 693.99 feet on May 13.
What is the lowest New Hogan Lake has been?
The low in the state's daily record since 1985 came in the late 1980s drought. In mid December 1988 the lake sat near 585.95 feet with roughly 14,800 acre-feet, essentially at the top of the 586 foot inactive pool, and storage stayed close to 15,000 acre-feet into early 1991. Recent droughts did not go as deep: 596.57 feet on December 18, 2015, and 618.05 feet on November 29, 2022.
Why is New Hogan Lake low in the fall?
The annual cycle runs high in spring and low in late fall. Through summer and fall the reservoir releases water for Stockton East Water District, Calaveras County Water District and a minimum river flow of at least 25 cubic feet per second, so storage falls until winter rain returns. If storage is still above 152,000 acre-feet on October 15, flood rules require the excess to be released, usually by the end of November.
Is the old Hogan Dam still under New Hogan Lake?
Yes. The original Hogan Dam, a concrete dam 136 feet high and 1,325 feet long finished by the City of Stockton in 1930, stands just upstream of New Hogan Dam. The Corps built the new dam immediately below it, and when the new reservoir filled to capacity about two years after its 1963 completion, the water covered the older dam completely.
Who operates New Hogan Lake and where does the water go?
The Sacramento District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built and runs the dam. Stockton East Water District acts as watermaster on the Calaveras and coordinates releases with the Corps. Under a 1970 agreement with Calaveras County Water District, Stockton East is guaranteed 56.5 percent of the reservoir's yield, which supplies its Waidhofer treatment plant and irrigation customers. A 3.15 megawatt powerhouse was added in 1986 under a contract with Modesto Irrigation District.
What fish are in New Hogan Lake and where do people camp?
Recreation.gov lists year round fishing for striped bass, black bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish, and notes that many of the biggest fish hold in less than 25 feet of water. Acorn Campground has 128 sites, Oak Knoll has 49, Coyote Point is a single group site for up to 50 people, and Deer Flat is reachable only by boat from the Fiddleneck launch. Bald eagles winter around the lake.
Other lakes near New Hogan Lake
- New Melones LakeCA
- New Bullards Bar ReservoirCA
- Lake OrovilleCA
- Millerton LakeCA
- Pine Flat LakeCA
- Lake McClureCA
See current levels for all 29 California lakes and reservoirs →
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