Pit-3 Dam (also known as Pit Number Three Dam and Dam Number Three) is a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

dam on the

Pit River The Pit River is a major river draining from northeastern California into the state's Central Valley. The Pit, the Klamath and the Columbia are the only three rivers in the U.S. that cross the Cascade Range. The longest tributary of the Sacr ...

in northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It forms

Lake Britton Lake Britton is a reservoir located in Shasta County, California. It is known for its wide variety of bass and trout. Its main body is situated to the west of State Route 89, and is mostly surrounded by PG&E Land, Forest Service Land, and McArthu ...

, and is owned by the

Pacific Gas and Electric Company The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 milli ...

(PG&E).

Specifications

Pit 3 is a curved concrete gravity dam with a height of and length of . The dam has a gated spillway with three steel gates and three inflatable rubber gates. An intake structure at the dam diverts water into a diameter, long tunnel that connects to the Pit 3 hydroelectric plant. There are three 23.3 MW generators, for a total capacity of 69.9 MW. Lake Britton, formerly known as Pit 3 Reservoir, has a maximum water level of ; however, the lake is usually kept below to avoid flooding parts of

McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park is the second oldest state park in the California State Parks system, located approximately north of Burney, California. The park offers camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnig ...

. The gross storage capacity is and the usable (active) storage is . The lake level changes on a weekly basis with greater drawdowns during the weekdays for power generation, and refilling on the weekends. In addition to generating power at the Pit 3 hydroelectric station, the reservoir also helps regulate water flowing through the Pit 4 and Pit 5 stations downstream. The dam is the place where

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

crosses the Pit River.

History

Construction was completed in 1925.

References

{{reflist Dams in California Dams on the Pit River Gravity dams Pacific Gas and Electric Company dams Buildings and structures in Shasta County, California Dams completed in 1925 1925 establishments in California

Specifications

History

See also

References