Pit 5 Dam is a

run-of-the-river hydroelectric Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amo ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

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 ...

Shasta County Shasta County (), officially the County of Shasta, is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 182,155 as of the 2020 census, up from 177,223 from the 2010 census. The county seat is Redding. Shasta ...

, northeastern

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 ...

, about south of Big Bend. It is part of the Pit 3-4-5 hydroelectric project owned by

Pacific Gas & 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 millio ...

Specifications

The concrete

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

diversion dam A diversion dam is a dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a river from its natural course. Diversion dams do not generally impound water in a reservoir; instead, the water is diverted into an artificial water course or canal, which ...

is high and long. It has a gated spillway controlled by four steel wheel gates, and a diameter river outlet for regular releases. An intake structure diverts water into a long penstock to the Pit 5 Tunnel forebay reservoir, from which a second tunnel connects to the Pit 5 power station. There are four 40 MW generating units, each fed by a -long penstock.

History

The dam and power station were authorized in 1942 and constructed as a wartime project, and the first power was generated on April 29, 1944. Construction of the dam and power station dewatered a stretch of the Pit River known as the "Big Bend". When the projects were relicensed in 2007, a minimum release into the river was established, to provide recreation benefits such as boating and fishing, and to improve riparian habitat.

References

{{reflist Dams in California Dams in the Sacramento River basin Gravity dams Dams completed in 1944 Pacific Gas and Electric Company dams

Specifications

History

See also

References