French Lake Reservoir
French Lake Reservoir is a reservoir in Nevada County, California.
The earthen, rock-fill French Lake Dam was first constructed in 1859, and is a candidate for the first use of rock-fill in an engineered dam. Reconstructed in 1948, it impounds Canyon Creek for flood control, irrigation water storage, municipal drinking water, and hydropower. The dam is high, with a length of at its crest. It is one of ten facilities operated by Nevada Irrigation District.
The reservoir has a surface area of and a maximum capacity of. The site is surrounded by Tahoe National Forest. The adjacent namesake townsite of French Lake, California is a ghost town of the California Gold Rush era.
