Every Lake
Pardee Reservoir
Pardee Dam sealed the Mokelumne River in 1929 — no swimming allowed, only lines in the water.
- 7 ft · first step
- 14 ft
- 21 ft
- 28 ft
- 36 ft
- 43 ft · bottom
About Pardee Reservoir
Pardee Reservoir formed in 1929 when the East Bay Municipal Utility District finished Pardee Dam across the Mokelumne River, in the Sierra foothills east of Stockton. The dam and reservoir were built to store water for the Mokelumne Aqueduct, which carries drinking water west to Oakland, Berkeley, and the rest of the East Bay. Because it feeds a municipal water supply, EBMUD has always barred swimming and any body contact with the water, a rule that still sets it apart from most California reservoirs open to the public.
The nearest towns are Valley Springs and Ione, straddling the Amador-Calaveras county line, and most visitors come for fishing rather than swimming. EBMUD stocks the reservoir with rainbow trout and it also holds landlocked chinook salmon and kokanee, drawing anglers who fish from boats under the agency's no-wake speed limits. The lake follows the Mokelumne's old canyon, so its shoreline winds in long fingers around former ridgelines rather than forming one open basin, and a seasonal marina and campground operated by EBMUD serve as the main public access points.
- 4 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 22 roads engraved around the shore, 4 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Pardee Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Pardee Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 14 ft, 21 ft, 28 ft, 36 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 43 ft. The lake covers about 3.4 square miles, and 22 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Pardee Reservoir map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Pardee Reservoir for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Pardee Reservoir.
Pardee Reservoir map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Pardee Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Pardee Reservoir is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 43 ft
- 3.4 square miles of water
- 22 shore roads engraved, 4 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
