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The Chowchilla River is a river in Central California and a major tributary of the San Joaquin River. It flows for 65 miles from the western side of the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River system. Most of the lower half of the river forms the border between Merced and Madera County.

River Source

The river begins as three separate forks in southern Mariposa County. The West Fork begins about a mile south of the town of Bootjack, California, the Middle Fork begins several miles southeast of the town and the East Fork begins about 10 miles west-northwest. The West and Middle forks are each about 15 miles long and combine just after crossing into northwest Madera County. The East Fork, which is about twice as long as the other forks, joins them soon after.

Buchanan Dam and Eastman Lake

After the consolidation of the forks, the river meanders roughly southwest to Eastman Lake. The lake, which holds 150,000 acre feet of water from the Chowchilla, was created in 1975 by the construction of Buchanan Dam, an earth and rockfill structure which is 205 ft. high and 1800 ft. long. The lake and dam's primary purpose is flood control and irrigation. In the summer months, Eastman Lake is a popular boating, fishing, camping and hiking destination for residents of the Madera and Chowchilla areas.

Lower river and confluence with the San Joaquin

Seven miles downstream of Eastman Lake, the Chowchilla's water is diverted into both the Berenda and Ash sloughs, with excess water continuing down the main river channel. The river flows west-southwest for most of the rest of the journey before flowing west in the last few miles. The main river channel ends abruptly about 18 miles south-southwest of Merced, and about three miles east of the San Joaquin River.

Until the early 1960s, the Chowchilla River flowed directly into the San Joaquin using its natural riverbed. As part of the Lower San Joaquin River Flood Control Project, the final three miles of the Chowchilla's riverbed was replaced and the flow of the river is now directed into a diversion canal, which flows into the Eastside Bypass, which then flows into the San Joaquin River.

The point where the Chowchilla River flowed naturally into the San Joaquin is now the point where the San Joaquin River's main channel is diverted into the Eastside Bypass. The lone remaining piece of the Chowchilla's original final three miles of riverbed runs parallel to the San Joaquin near that area and has now been incorporated into the Mariposa Slough.

Towns

Towns along the Chowchilla River include:

Crossings

There are numerous crossings over the Chowchilla River in Madera and Merced Counties. Crossings are listed here beginning at the source and working downstream:
  • Madera County above Eastman Lake
    • Bailey Flats Road
    • Green Mountain Road
  • Madera County below Eastman Lake
  • Merced County

References

Rivers of California | Tributaries of the San Joaquin River

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Chowchilla River".

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