© 2009-2013 ; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
RESTORATION & AREA ACTIVITIES
RESTORATION & AREA ACTIVITIES
FINNON LAKE
ДОБРО ПОЖАЛОВАТЬ WILLKOMEN BENVENUTI BIENVENUE Välkommen BIENVENIDO WELKOM
We are now in our fourth year and FinnonLake.com would like to say thank you to all the visitors to this website. To date we have had folks from 89 different countries view our information, photos and videos. Click HERE to view a list of the countries our visitors come from. Again, thanks to all for your visit. Please note that right clicking on an object to copy it has been disabled. If you want a copy of a photo, or information please contact the webmaster of this site.
Please go to the MAPS & LINKS page for driving instructions and an array of additional sites and activities in the immediate area. Visit and pitch your tent for a day, week or longer and enjoy rowing the boat, a round of disc golf, however - going after that large mouth bass will have to wait a bit as the lake slowly refills.
A Visitor to the lake Wintertime at the old lake Campground clean-up Fishing anyone? How about disc golf? Lunch at Rock Creek Cafe
To read why finnonlake.com is not associated with the owner of the lake, or their website, please click here.
When visiting this website, or any other for that matter, please - respect the content and ownership rights of every website you travel to. Most sites have copyrighted content and ownership rights to their published works. Don’t pilfer content. In most cases a simple request to the website owner / webmaster to use materials from a website is all that is required. Some may ask that if you do use their content, with their permission, that you simply give credit to the site you received the materials from. Please remember it is a violation of Title 17 of the US Code to infringe upon copyright protected works. Don’t be unethical as others have been in pilfering photos from this website. Simply contact the webmaster.
The campgrounds are closed for the winter according to the owner’s website. For additional camping options please click here.
WHILE WAITING FOR THE LAKE TO REFILL -
There are an additional array of activities which are nearby as well. The Eldorado National Forest; the Marshall gold discovery site / Sutter's Mill in Coloma; ATV trails in Georgetown; White water rafting on the South Fork of the American River; the Rubicon Trail for you Jeep fans; and the town of Placerville also known as "Old Hangtown." The oldest suspension bridge in California is nearby. The oldest, still operating, hardware store west of the Mississippi and oldest, still operating, newspaper west of the Mississippi are in Placerville as well. Come visit us and our neighbors, you'll enjoy the peace and quiet, as well as the activities. Click on the MAPS & ACTIVITIES page to see several additional things you may do while visiting the area. AND - if you enjoy stargazing on a dark evening bring your telescope, or binoculars. The night sky can be unbelievably clear and dark.
For additional history of the immediate area surrounding the lake click HERE.
Click on any photo to enlarge and scroll through this set. The far left begins the series with a 1946 aerial view. The lake should hopefully be back to a full level by 2013.
Aerial photos courtesy USGS, all others courtesy www.eldoradorcd.org
FINNON PHOTOS THROUGH THE YEARS
Left to right -1) August 2011 satellite view (©BING). Blue outline shows future size of lake. 2) (Photo© RockCreekCafe.com) Aerial view April 2012 with runoff water refilling the lake. 3) July 2012 Satellite View © on photo; 4) - what the lake will be as soon as it is near capacity, note that the east end of lake (almost half) is not in photo. Click first three photos to enlarge.
These scrolling photos show the construction to completion of the concrete base support for the gear works that open/close the drain valve, which is located at the lowest point of the lake’s bottom. Water can drain from the lake into Jaybird Creek, which begins just to the west of the dam.
This photo shows the supports and rod that goes from the control gears to the drain gate. Clicking on the photo will enlarge it to show how the supports may be used to gauge the depth of the water. As of March 7, 2013 the water is just above the sixth support (from the top).
Dam reconstruction/replacement began June 6, 2011 and was officially final January 4, 2012. Although the dam is complete there is still plenty that has to be done. The lake needs to be refilled, fish restocked, brush cleared, a possible boat ramp, spillway bridge repairs, the list goes on. For information on the reconstruction project please view the History & Restoring menu link, and its sub pages.
Click any photo to enlarge and then scroll through this short series. Hundreds of photos and several videos are available of the reconstruction on the archives page.
Any news or updates for 2013 will initially be posted on this page, then moved to the Finnon Restoration Main Page, found under the History and Restoring link at the top of the page, (or click here.) Look for prior month’s updates there.
The main purpose of this website is to provide information on the Finnon Lake dam and lake restoration project. Finnonlake.com would like to say thanks to the El Dorado County and Georgetown Divide Resource Conservation Districts (RCD)and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) for all their efforts in making the dam restoration possible. If not for these agencies the project would never have been accomplished. Please go to the History & Restoring pages for photos, videos, and links to the RCD website, and click HERE to go to the SNC website.
Finnonlake.com is pleased to provide you with information from the RCD as soon as it is presented to us, look for additional information soon.
In addition this website has many additional pages - activities, maps, weather, area history and more. Please look for them all in the navigation bar at the top of each page.
February , 2013 Announcements - the county water agency, EID, will be filling the lake between May 1, 2013 and June 15, 2013. Also announced was the receipt of grant monies to do road surfacing work on the top of the dam, which has been simply a dirt surface since the dam was completed. Fishing will not be available for about one to two more years.
In addition - El Dorado county’s department of transportation has begun
their process of studying replacement of the existing Mosquito Bridge. It
will take years to undertake/complete. A new bridge will improve emerg-
ency vehicle response times, improve safety, and improve lake access.
Click either picture to enlarge. Information is from a 1993 study, which is being updated to 2013 standards. Full bridge replacement information can be found by clicking HERE.
Pictures courtesy El Dorado County, DOT study plans.
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A VIEW OF THE
LAKE AND DAM PRIOR
TO RESTORATION.
PAUSE
or PLAY
MAY 2013 -
Our winter and early spring have been much drier than normal. Rainfall and snows didn’t amount to much, and this area is around 65% of normal year to date precipitation. The county water agency, EID, was to start refilling the lake as of May 1. Haven’t seen any sign that they have begun their legal obligation to do so, to date. It was announced by the lake’s administrative board on February 9 that EID was to begin May 1 and have filling completed by June 15. As with all things —- time will tell.
UPDATE - Mid May - the campgrounds have been reopened for the season. Vehicle size limit for the spillway bridge has been limited 25 feet in length. Fishing will not be allowed for this season as well.
May 4 was campground clean up day. The campsite areas were cleaned of fallen branches, huge pine cones, weed whacked, and spruced up so cthe campgrounds are now ready for Spring and Summer use. See the camping page for contact information.
No new photos as there is really nothing new to show. Stay tuned for updates as they occur.