Shasta dam

Shasta dam
	The Shasta Dam with Shasta Lake and Mt. Shasta in the background
Location:	California , USA
Tributaries:	Sacramento River , McCloud River , Pit River
Drain:	Sacramento River
Larger places nearby:	Shasta Lake , Redding
	California , United States
Coordinates	40 ° 43 ′ 0 ″ N , 122 ° 27 ′ 0 ″ W Coordinates: 40 ° 43 ′ 0 ″ N , 122 ° 27 ′ 0 ″ W
	Data on the structure
Construction time:	1938-1945
Height above foundation level :	183 m
Building volume:	4 million m³
Crown length:	1 055 m
Power plant output:	610 MW
	Data on the reservoir
Water surface	119 km²
Reservoir length	56 km
Maximum depth	159.3 m
Storage space	5612 million m³

The Shasta Dam ( English Shasta Dam ) stands on the Sacramento River in Shasta Lake near Redding in the US state of California . It was built between 1938 and 1945 as part of a job creation scheme by the Works Progress Administration . The reservoir is known as Shasta Lake like the place . The area is a popular recreational area.

use

The Shasta Dam is part of the "Shasta and Trinity River Division" of the Central Valley Project of 1933, which started in 1935 with funds from the "Emergency Relief Appropriation Act". The Shasta and Trinity Division was authorized in August 1955. The location of the dam was chosen by the State of California. California could not finance the project on its own and sought help from the American government.

The purpose of the "Central Valley Project" is water supply and flood protection; The Shasta Dam also serves both purposes. The reservoir is also used for irrigation, hydropower generation, recreation and increasing water quality.

Barrier structure

The barrier structure is a curved concrete gravity dam . The dam is 183 meters high and 1055 meters long, has a base width of 165.5 meters and a structure volume of 4 million m³.

Hydroelectric power plant

There is a hydroelectric power station at the foot of the dam . It has a hydraulic head of 100 meters and its five Francis turbines have a combined output of 610 MW. It is the fourth largest hydropower plant in California and the largest that is not a pumped storage plant . The water flows through five pipes with a diameter of 4.5 meters. At full power, 85 m³ of water flow through it per second. The electricity is generated at a voltage of 13,800 volts and transformed to 230,000 volts for transmission to consumers in California.

increase

In September 2004 a law was introduced according to which an increase in the dam wall should be investigated. Proponents believe that there is an urgent need for water. Opponents such as the Winnemem-Wintu Indian tribe consider this to be a dangerous plan for the environment and think that measures to save water should be explored more sensibly.