By Alex Lane -

Major efforts are underway towards the restoration of Caples Lake, after malfunctioning underwater slide gates prompted emergency repairs on July 18th. Caples, situated on the Eastern border of Amador County near Kirkwood Resort, has undergone a dramatic transformation. El Dorado Irrigation District officials, in cooperation with the Department of Fish and Game, have approved a 246,000 dollar plan to restock the lake after 36,000 acre feet of water and more than 25,000 fish were displaced to nearby Jenkinson Lake and its tributaries. The restocking plan was approved at their latest board meeting. It will be implemented in a two phase process. Phase One will begin in the spring of next year after the lake thaws. “We are hoping it just rains a ton so there is more water in there,” said Deanne Kloepfer, Department Head for Communications. Phase Two will follow over the next nine years. The board plans to acquire additional funding for further fish restocking over that time. “In (Phase One), we want to provide some trophy opportunities as well as rebuild the fishery,” Kloepfer said. Caples Lake is well-known amongst Amador County residents for its breathtaking scenery and excellent high-elevation fishing conditions. In the meantime, a temporary “bladder” dam was installed on September 20th to store as much water as possible and still protect repair crews. The lake has been almost completely dewatered between the bladder dam and main dam. Problems began in July when two badly deteriorated, 85-year-old slide gates failed. As a result, emergency underwater crews were called in for extensive repair work. Once repairs are complete, the bladder dam will be removed.