Visited on 3/9/2018 after a work assignment giving State exams to inmates at Mount Bullion Conservation Camp I traveled west of Mariposa, California to one of the smaller urban lakes on my list. Located in the City of Modesto, California, Naraghi Lake was excavated in the 1980s as one of a planned series of water features for a large residential and commercial development complex straddling both sides of Oakdale Road. The lake is named after the Naraghi family, who were at one time large landowners in the area, and who planned the initial development. Shortly after excavating the lake, the Naraghi development was scrapped because of financial and market problems, leaving the lake as the only evidence of the plan that had been abandoned. The surrounding land was sold off and subsequently developed. The lake remains the property of the Naraghi family.
It was open to the
public for fishing and recreational use until 2004, when liability issues and
problems related to people dumping invasive species into the lake including a
fish related to the piranha, finally prompted the Naraghi family to fence in
the perimeter.
Over the years,
numerous proposals for the land and the lake have been discussed, including
converting it into a city park, building private residences around its
perimeter, and building apartment or office complexes on the property. Most of
these plans are hamstrung by the now-limited amount of land remaining around
the lake, and have not been pursued beyond the discussion phase.
The surface area of
the lake is 13 acres at a sea level of 102 feet.
Naraghi Lake is
supplied from MID canals and pipelines. It was built by excavating a hole in
the otherwise flat terrain and was lined with bentonite to eliminate
percolation.
Ducks and geese enjoying the water on this 70 degree springtime day at Lake Naraghai.
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