Lake Nacimiento

CALIFORNIA


Lake Level
764.18 FEET
11/20/2024
Full Pool: 0.0
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Lake Nacimiento News

Water Resources Outlook for September 2023

National Weather Service

Date: 9/21/2023

Southeast River Forecast Center Water Resources Outlook for September 2023 addressing flooding and drought issues across the southeast U.S

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California Governor Newsom Proposes 300% Boat Registration Fee Increase

BoatUS News

Date: 6/27/2023

SACRAMENTO, CA – The nation’s largest recreational boat owners advocacy, services and safety group Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), and the nonprofit state advocacy organization Recreational Boaters of California (RBOC), are asking Golden State boat owners to speak up on a recently

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Water Resources Outlook (March 2023)

Todd Hamill

Date: 3/20/2023

Water Resources Outlook for March

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Is Your Boat’s Long Winter Nap Going Well?

BoatUS News

Date: 1/1/2023

SPRINGFIELD, VA., Jan. 24, 2022 – Storms have hammered the U.S., and many recreational boats are sleeping away the winter under a layer of ice and snow. If you store your boat outside and haven’t checked up on her lately, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has five tips for a midwinter

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What Every Boater Wants for the Holidays: 24/7 On-Water Assistance from TowBoatUS

BoatUS News

Date: 11/14/2022

Gadgets may make good holiday gifts. However, for a boater, having 24/7 on-the-water help just a call away is much better. Like belonging to an auto club for recreational boat owners, a BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership provides professional on-water towing services by the TowBoatUS fleet - the nation’s largest

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• River: Nacimiento River
• Surface Area: 5,370 Acres
Lake Nacimiento is an 18-mile long lake on the Nacimiento River in northern San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake contains many arms including Snake Creek and Dip Creek, nearer the dam, and the central Las Tablas and Franklin Creeks. Because of the dragon-like shape created by the positions of these arms, it is sometimes referred to as Dragon Lake. The lake can fill quickly in the winter from river surges resulting from downpours upstream in the Santa Lucia Range so the level is not usually allowed to capacity until May 1 of each year.

The lake was originally designed for irrigation water and flood control as well as recreation. Nacimiento Dam, a 210-foot earthfill dam, forms the lake. The dam was built by the Monterey County Water Authority under Monterey County District Engineer Loran Bunte Jr, which completed construction in 1956. The water authority uses the lake to recharge its groundwater. Even though the lake is entirely inside San Luis Obispo County, the waters are patrolled by the Monterey County Parks Department under a joint powers agreement with San Luis Obispo County. The Monterey County Parks Department’s primary jurisdiction is the lake waters, up to the high water mark and the resort area. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office does have a boat at the lake for access to the back country around the lake. Also, they have been known to write tickets on the water. Lake Nacimiento has a capacity of 377,000 acre feet. The lake is near the city of Paso Robles. The lake is also the home of two residential housing developments, which lie on the lake's shore; Heritage Ranch and Oak Shores. There are several smaller (10-40 house) private subdivisions on the south west side of the lake. These houses were affected by the Chimney Fire in August 2016. Except for the resort area near the dam, most of the property around the lake is private. Overnight camping on the lake, outside of the resort, is not allowed. Also, you are considered trespassing if you set up or venture on land above the high water mark.

The lake was developed and paid for by Monterey County. However San Luis Obispo County retained the rights to 17,500 acre feet of water per year. This was not requested by San Luis Obispo County until the mid-2000s. In October 2007, construction started on a pipeline to bring water from the lake to Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, and San Luis Obispo. During construction, three people were killed—one run over by a dump truck, and two drowned when an excavator hit an unrelated water pipeline which flooded a section of water project pipe under construction. The project went online in January 2011.

The Lake's dam was shut down during 2014 due to damage that occurred to one of the turbines, and as a result the neighboring Lake San Antonio was emptied to critical levels to supply the Salinas Valley with groundwater.

Lake Nacimiento is also a haven for watersport enthusiasts. The lake provides ample room for waterskiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, wakesurfing, and other water-related activities.
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