Pine Flat Dam
| Pine Flat Dam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Fresno County, California |
| Coordinates | 36°49′57″N 119°19′33″W / 36.8325°N 119.3259°W |
| Construction began | 1949 |
| Opening date | 1954 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 440 ft (130 m) |
| Length | 1,840 ft (560 m) |
| Impounds | Kings River |
| Spillways | Gated over-the crest |
| Spillway capacity | 391,000 cu ft/s (11,100 m3/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Pine Flat Lake |
| Capacity | 1,000,000 acre·ft (1.2 km3) |
| Catchment area | 1,545 sq mi (4,000 km2) |
| Surface area | 5,970 acres (24.2 km2) |
| Hydraulic head | 424 ft (129 m) |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pine Flat Dam | |
Pine Flat Dam is on the Kings River in the San Joaquin Valley, near Piedra in Fresno County, California, and forms Pine Flat Lake. It is a 440 ft (130 m) concrete gravity dam. The dam is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction of the dam began in 1949 and was completed in 1954. Its primary function is flood control, with hydropower, irrigation and recreation all secondary in importance. Its reservoir is large, with a capacity of 1,000,000 acre·ft (1.2 km3).
Security precautions at the dam taken after the September 11, 2001 attacks have exceeded most in California. Large areas formerly open to the public have been closed, roads have been barricaded and the dam itself is inaccessible. This is likely because of the dam's importance in protecting the region from floods and the damage that the water would do if the dam was breached. In addition, the Army Corps of Engineers, as a military organization, may have more stringent security requirements than the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and local agencies, which control most major dams in the state.
Completed in 1984, the Jeff L. Taylor Pine Flat Power Plant is a hydroelectric generation station operated by Kings River Conservation District and is located at the base of the dam. Its three Francis turbines produce 165-MW combined that generate an average annual energy output of 420 million kilowatt-hours. The plant's generation is governed by flood control and irrigation needs.
[edit] References
- Department of Water Resources (2009). "Station Meta Data: Pine Flat Dam (PNF)". California Data Exchange Center. State of California. http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/profile?s=PNF&type=dam. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- Construction Operations (2009). "Parks and Lakes: Pine Flat Lake". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/cespk-co/lakes/pineflat.html. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- "Pine Flat Power Plant". Kings River Conservation District. 2009. http://www.krcd.org/power/pine_flat_power/. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pine Flat Dam
- Kings River Conservation District
- Hourly Report for Pine Flat
|
|||||||||||||||||||
