Tulare County's Lake Success Spillway Expansion Completed, Celebrated

This Lake Disappeared 130 Years Ago—Now It’s Back, and Scientists Are Stunned

Tulare Lake, once a sprawling body of freshwater in California’s San Joaquin Valley, disappeared over a century ago, only to return in 2023, surprising locals and researchers alike. This once-mighty lake, which stretched over 100 miles long and 30 miles wide, was the largest body of freshwater in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River. But following decades of human intervention, the lake vanished by the 1890s, and its waters were drained to irr…

Tulare County's Lake Success Spillway Expansion Completed, Celebrated

A ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday marked the completion of a massive construction project expanding water storage at Lake Success and paid tribute to the legacy of longtime Tule River Watermaster Richard L. Schafer. The event gave more than 60 people who braved a blazing sun and whipping winds a birds’ eye view of the expanded dam. Lisa McEwen SJV Water It includes a 10-foot tall, curved ogee weir that spans a massive spillway, which was …