 After Lake Natoma and Folsom Lake were built, the Bureau of Reclamation was given control of operation for both reservoirs and dams.Before Natoma reservoir was created the section of the American river it now occupies was the site of many gold mining operations in the 1800s.Around 1956, the Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as State Parks, formed an agreement that State Parks will be responsible for recreational activities on Lake Natoma, as well as Folsom Lake.