By Alex Lane - Repairs to failed slide gates at the Caples Lake main dam outlet works are nearing completion. Inspections conducted after a recent dewatering show that the 85-year-old slide gates, their appurtenances, and the trash rack were more badly deteriorated than indicated by earlier underwater investigations. However, no new major problems were discovered. The repair teams are removing the slide gates and trash rack and installing replacements. El Dorado Irrigation District anticipates the work will be done by November 1st, or possibly earlier. Once the repairs are completed, the gates will be tested and the bladder dams removed. Currently, the District is pumping water—at the rate of two to three cubic feet per second—from behind the bladder dams into Caples Creek. At their October 6 meeting, the District’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to fund the first year of the Caples Lake fish restocking plan, approved by the state Department of Fish and Game. According to the plan, over a ten-year period, brown, rainbow, and mackinaw trout will be released into the lake to reestablish the lake’s recreational fisheries. The comprehensive plan includes a timeframe that Fish and Game believes will allow a trophy mackinaw fishery to reestablish. Fish and Game will fund the restocking of the mackinaw. The cost to the District to fund the first year restocking effort is 246,282 dollars. At this time, the details are being worked out by District staff, Fish and Game, and potential partners. Caples Lake is a major recreation area for residents of Amador County.