When people think of Fresno’s Fig Garden neighborhood they might think of Christmas Tree Lane, a shopping mall or even the area’s long gone fig orchards. But what about a dam and giant lake on the northern edge of Fresno? It almost happened. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story behind the planned Fig Garden Dam and Reservoir.
The Central Valley Project was a big part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. It led to the construction of facilities like Friant and Shasta Dams. But the vision didn’t end with FDR. The Bureau of Reclamation developed plans for more dams and reservoirs, including one on the San Joaquin River near Highway 99 – the planned Fig Garden Dam and Reservoir. The lake would have been a key link in a new chain of canals on the east side of the valley, from Folsom to Fresno to Bakersfield.
Fig Garden Dam would have been 65 feet high, creating a lake about 20 percent the size of Millerton Lake. It would have flooded the river bottom upstream for around 10 miles. Woodward Park would have been on the shoreline. The city even began to plan for lakefront recreation sites.
The dam was included in federal plans throughout most of the 1960’s. But by the 1970’s things had stalled. Costs were rising, and so were environmental concerns. By the 1980’s the plan was dead. Today public investments on the river bottom continue, but are focused on preserving open space, and building out the San Joaquin River Parkway.
