Topographic survey data and digital elevation model of Oxbow Reservoir, Placer County, California, October 2022

This data release presents topographic survey data and a digital elevation model (DEM) of Oxbow Reservoir, in Placer County, California. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a topographic survey of accessible regions of the reservoir sediment on 26 October 2022, when the reservoir was partially de-watered to allow repairs to the dam infrastructure following the Mosquito Fire. The survey was conducted to document baseline reservoir sediment elevation in Oxbow Reservoir immediately after the Mosquito Fire, prior to the first post-fire runoff of the 2022-2023 winter. During the survey, significant portions of the reservoir site remained inaccessible to surveyors due to the continued flow of the Middle Fork American River. Consequently, these data cover approximately 50 percent of the total surface area of the reservoir at full pool. The survey operations were conducted using two multi-constellation dual-frequency RTK GNSS rovers mounted on backpacks. RTK corrections were broadcast from a GNSS base station occupying a fixed control point located less than 1 kilometer from the survey area. The topographic data collected during the survey were used to develop the DEM presented in this data release.