Slab Creek Dam is a dam in the
American River watershed of the central
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
, within
El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County (), officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The County is part of the Sacramento- Roseville-A ...
.
The dam and reservoir impound the upper
South Fork American River for hydroelectric power, and are named for Slab Creek, a nearby tributary.
Dam
The concrete
arch dam was constructed in 1967 as part of the
Upper American River Project by the
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). It has a height of , and a length of at its crest.
Slab Creek Dam is one of several dams and reservoirs owned by SMUD. Others include the 1959
Ice House Dam
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opa ...
, the 1963
Loon Lake Dam, and the 1963
Union Valley Dam.
Slab Creek Reservoir
The reservoir the dam creates, Slab Creek Reservoir, has a normal water surface of , and a normal capacity of 16,600
acre-feet. Recreation on and around the reservoir includes fishing, camping, and rafting.
Iowa Hill Pumped-Storage Project
An additional project called the Iowa Hill Pumped-Storage Project was planned in 2001, which would have taken water from the Slab Creek reservoir during off-peak times, to be released for electricity generation at times of high demand. In February 2016 the project was cancelled, on the grounds that by the time it was completed, that type of storage would not be needed.
See also
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List of dams and reservoirs in California
Following is a list of dams and reservoirs in California in a sortable table. There are over 1,400 named dams and 1,300 named reservoirs in the state of California.
Dams in service
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Former ...
References
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Dams on the American River
Arch dams
Hydroelectric power plants in California
Sacramento Municipal Utility District dams
Dams completed in 1967
Energy infrastructure completed in 1967
1967 establishments in California