Saddlebag Lake Reservoir
Saddlebag Lake Reservoir
Saddlebag Lake Reservoir is located in Mono County, California, and was constructed in 1921 to provide hydroelectric power for the city of Los Angeles. The reservoir is fed by several small streams and snowmelt from the surrounding mountains, which are part of the Sierra Nevada range. The snowpack in the Sierras provides the majority of the water supply for the reservoir. Water from the reservoir is primarily used for hydroelectric power generation, but it also supports some agricultural and recreational activities in the area. The surface flow and snowpack providers for the reservoir include streams such as Lee Vining Creek and creeks that flow from the Sawtooth Ridge. Recreational activities in the area include fishing, camping, and hiking, and the reservoir is accessible via hiking trails and a ferry service.
Inside the reservoir
The real shoreline of this water body, with a depth model scaled so the basin holds exactly its recorded storage. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, and use the slider to drain and refill it. Click anywhere on the basin for the modelled depth there.
How this is built. The shoreline is the National Hydrography
Dataset polygon for this water body (“Saddlebag Lake”),
matched to the dam by proximity and confirmed by comparing its area with the
National Inventory of Dams surface area.
Depth is modelled, not surveyed: the basin is shaped by distance from
shore — deep in open water, shallow in the bays — and scaled so its
volume equals the recorded storage. No national bathymetric survey exists for
US reservoirs. Treat the shoreline, area and volume as measured, and the depth
distribution as an informed approximation.
Above normal pool, water is shown rising within the normal-pool
shoreline. Where it would actually spread depends on the surrounding
terrain, which is not modelled here — a reservoir in a steep canyon barely
widens, one on flat ground can spread a long way. This is a depth and volume
figure, not an inundation map. Official inundation mapping for a dam
comes from its Emergency Action Plan.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Saddlebag Lake Reservoir -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Green Creek Near Bridgeport | 5 cfs | → |
| Robinson C At Twin Lks Outlet Nr Bridgeport | 21 cfs | → |
| Buckeye C Nr Bridgeport | 13 cfs | → |
| Tuolumne R A Grand Cyn Of Tuolumne Ab Hetch Hetchy | 13 cfs | → |
| Merced R A Happy Isles Bridge Nr Yosemite Ca | 8 cfs | → |
| Deadman C A Big Springs Nr Crestview Ca | 21 cfs | → |
About Saddlebag Lake Reservoir
Where does the data for Saddlebag Lake Reservoir come from?
Daily storage, pool elevation, and release rates are sourced from USGS, USBR, and USACE monitoring stations. Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
Storage observations are updated daily by the operating agency. The 15-day weather forecast refreshes throughout the day. Snoflo caches and renders the most recent observation -- check the "as of" timestamp on the storage card.
What does the Hazard hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card below for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this reservoir, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
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