Camanche Dam, Embankment dam in San Joaquin County, United States.

Camanche Dam is a zoned gravel-fill embankment dam with an impervious core on the Mokelumne River in San Joaquin County, about 10 miles downstream of Pardee Dam. It rises 168 feet above the streambed, is 2,640 feet long and 34.5 feet wide at the crest, and impounds Camanche Reservoir. A spillway with a capacity of 182,000 cubic feet per second and relief wells at its base handle pressure on the structure.

The dam was built between 1963 and 1964 by the East Bay Municipal Utility District, flooding a small town that had existed since California's Gold Rush era. This construction marked a major shift in how water was managed and supplied to the surrounding region.

The name comes from Iowa pioneers who settled the gold-rush town of Camanche in the mid-1860s and named it after their home town in Iowa; they misspelled the Native American tribe Comanche in the same way. The town was submerged when the reservoir filled, and the local newspaper wrote in 1964 that "Camanche will inundate many memories."

The reservoir is open year-round for recreation and offers access at various points along the shoreline. Water levels can change seasonally, so visitors should plan accordingly and check local rules for fishing and boating activities.

Below the dam, the East Bay fish facilities include the largest artificial salmon spawning channel in the world and the first of its kind in California. The dam's spillway can pass 182,000 cubic feet per second, about six times the largest flood in the reservoir's history.