- Reclamation
- Mid-Pacific Region
- Area Offices
- CCAO
- Field Offices
Field Offices
The Central California Area Office has two field offices: Lake Berryessa and New Melones. For a brief description of each field office, please read below and to view the full Lake Berryessa and New Melones websites, the links are below each description.
Lake Berryessa
Lake Berryessa is the reservoir for the Solano Project which is owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and operated under a cooperative agreement by the Solano County Water Agency/Solano Irrigation District. The project provides flood control protection to the city of Winters and other downstream communities and high-quality water supply for irrigation and the cities of Vacaville, Suisun City, Vallejo, and Fairfield. At capacity, Lake Berryessa stores 1.6 million acre feet of water and is one of the largest bodies of fresh water in California. The lake is 23 miles long, 3 miles wide, with 165 miles of shoreline. Reclamation and the Berryessa Blue Ridge Partnership jointly manage a 2,000-acre wildlife area along the east side of the lake.
- Lake Berryessa Homepage
- Latest Park Events/Ranger Programs (pdf - 249 KB)
- Visitor Services Plan (VSP)
- View Map
In 1944, Congress authorized the construction of the New Melones Dam to prevent flood damage caused by rain and snowmelt to the 35,000 acres (14,164 ha) of downstream agricultural land and the communities of Oakdale, Riverbank, and Ripon as well as others further downstream. Congress modified this authorization in the 1962 Flood Control Act to include irrigation, power, wildlife and fishery enhancement, recreation, and water quality as reasons for construction.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction in 1966. Approval for and construction of the reservoir was not without public controversy; however, the dam was completed in 1978, and the spillway and powerhouse were completed in 1979. In this final year, the Corps transferred the project to Reclamation, which has since managed the reservoir and surrounding landscape. The reservoir is now a part of the Central Valley Project, created to provide water to arid areas in California, and to minimize downstream flooding.
The New Melones Lake Visitor Center and Museum were completed as a part of the New Melones project in 1992. The facility was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation to address a Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) for Cultural Resources as mitigation for the loss of archeological, historical and cultural resources and sites as a part of the New Melones project. This agreement was entered into by the Bureau of Reclamation, California State Historic Preservation Office, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
Its main purpose is to present the public with information on the use of the Stanislaus River by prehistoric and historic peoples. The New Melones Lake area has been occupied for more than 9,000 years. The lands adjacent to the Stanislaus River contain hundreds of prehistoric and historic archeological sites. The area was important during the California Gold Rush and subsequent mining periods. In more recent years, the New Melones Lake area has been of interest to water users, power production, and recreation.
New Melones Field Office and Visitor Center
The Visitor Center and Museum are located on Highway 49, between Sonora and Angels Camp, just 1/4 mile south of the Highway 49 Stevenot Stanislaus River Bridge.
Field Office and Visitor Center
6850 Studhorse Flat Rd, Sonora, CA 95370
209-536-9543
Field Office Hours
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
New Melones Visitor Center
Memorial Day to Labor DayMonday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tuesday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Monday, Closed
Tuesday, Closed
Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
