Blue Mesa dam
| Blue Mesa dam | ||
|---|---|---|
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| location | ||
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| Coordinates | 38 ° 27 '12 " N , 107 ° 20' 4" W | |
| country |
 United States
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| place | Gunnison County , Colorado | |
| Waters | Gunnison River | |
| Height upstream | 2291.8 m | |
| power plant | ||
| owner | United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | |
| operator | USBR | |
| construction time | 1962 to 1966 | |
| Start of operation | 1967 | |
| technology | ||
| Bottleneck performance | 86.4 megawatts | |
| Average height of fall |
101 m | |
| Standard work capacity | 264 million kWh / year | |
| Turbines | Francis turbines : 2 × 43.2 MW | |
| Others | ||
The Blue Mesa dam ( English Blue Mesa Dam ) is a dam with hydroelectric power plant in Gunnison County , Colorado , USA . It dams the Gunnison River to a reservoir ( English Blue Mesa Reservoir ). The town of Gunnison is approximately 48 km (30 miles ) upstream and Morrow Point Dam is approximately 19 km (12 miles) downstream of the Blue Mesa Dam. The dam and the reservoir are in the Curecanti National Recreation Area .
In addition to generating electricity, the dam serves primarily as flood protection and storage space for the floods that occur in spring. Construction of the dam began in 1962. It was completed in 1966. The dam is owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and is also operated by the USBR.
The Colorado State Highway 92 leads over the dam.
Barrier structure
The barrier structure is an earth embankment dam with a height of 119 m (390 ft ) above the foundation level or 104 m (342 ft) above the river bed. The dam crest is at an altitude of 2294.5 m (7528 ft) above sea level . The length of the dam crest is 239 m (785 ft). The volume of the structure is 2.35 million m³ (3.08 million cubic yards ).
The flood relief is a tunnel that runs through the dam. The entrance is on the right bank. A maximum of 963 m³ / s (34,000 cft / s) can be discharged via the flood relief, and a maximum of 173 m³ / s (6100 cft / s) via the turbine inlet and the bottom outlet .
Reservoir
At the normal storage target of 2,291.8 m (7,519 ft), the reservoir extends over an area of around 37.15 km² (9,180 acres ) and holds 1.16 billion m³ (940,800 acre-feet ) of water. The reservoir has a length of 32 km (20 miles); it is the largest lake in the state of Colorado .
power plant
The power plant is located at the foot of the dam. It went into operation in September 1967. The installed capacity is 86.4 MW ; it was originally 60 MW. In 1988 a performance upgrade was carried out; the power plant's two Francis turbines each have a maximum output of 43.2 MW (previously 30 MW). The average annual generation is around 203 (or 264) million kWh . The drop height is 101 m (332 ft). The power plant serves to cover peak loads .
See also
Web links
- Work starts on Blue Mesa Dam. mountainscholar.org, accessed on November 18, 2018 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Aspinall Unit. United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), accessed November 18, 2018 .
- ↑ a b Blue Mesa Dam. USBR, accessed November 18, 2018 .
- ^ Aspinall Unit Operations Final Environmental Impact Statement. (PDF) USBR, January 1, 2012, pp. 1–4 (32) , accessed on November 18, 2018 (English).
- ^ Wayne N. Aspinall Storage Unit. National Park Service (NPS), accessed November 18, 2018 .
- ^ Blue Mesa Powerplant. USBR, accessed November 18, 2018 .
