Visited on 5/18/2018, Jeff and our two chocolate Labradors, Summer and Skye joined me on a business trip to give Drinking Water examinations in the Central Valley of California. We traveled in the Central Valley foothills north of Fresno to an elevation of 561 feet above sea level to Millerton Lake. We camped at the Fort Miller Campgrounds at campsites #52 and we decided since site #53 had the best picnic area we got them both. All of the campgrounds are located on the north side of the lake. Millerton Lake is a 4,900 acre artificial lake near the town of Friant about 15 miles north of downtown Fresno. The reservoir was created by the construction of Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River which, with the lake, serves as much of the county line between Fresno County to the south and Madera County to the north.
Part of the Central Valley Project, the dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and was completed in 1942. The lake stores water for irrigation, which is distributed by the Madera and Friant-Kern Canals to the San Joaquin Valley.
Secondary uses include flood control and recreation, including swimming, fishing, water skiing and camping. A 25 MW hydroelectric plant operated by the Friant Power Authority produces electricity from large releases and two smaller plants use water released for a fish hatchery and to maintain minimum-flow in the river.
Prior to the construction of Friant Dam, the current lake bed was the site of the town of Millerton, the first county seat of Fresno County. By diverting most of the San Joaquin River for irrigation, the Friant Dam has caused about 60 miles of the river to run dry except in high water years when floodwaters are spilled from the dam.
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