Nimbus Dam
| Nimbus Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Sacramento County, California |
| Coordinates | 38°38′10″N 121°13′11″W / 38.636095°N 121.219806°W,inline |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1952 |
| Opening date | 1955 |
| Owner(s) | Bureau of Reclamation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | American River |
| Height | 87 ft (27 m) |
| Length | 1,093 ft (333 m) |
| Elevation at crest | 132 ft (40 m) |
| Width (crest) | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Width (base) | 135 ft (41 m) |
| Dam volume | 8,760 acre-feet (10,810 dam3) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Natoma |
| Catchment area | 1,898 sq mi (4,920 km2) |
| Power Station | |
| Installed capacity | 13.5 MW |
| Annual generation | 51,097,000 KWh |
The Nimbus Dam is a base load hydroelectric dam on the American River near Folsom, California. Approximately 8,700 acre-feet (10,700 dam3) of water is retained by the dam. It is responsible for the impoundment of water from the American River to create the Lake Natoma reservoir. The dam stands 76 feet and spans 1,093 feet. The Nimbus powerplant consists of two generators. Each generator contains enough electrical power to power over 200,000 100-watt light bulbs, about 15,500 kilowatts of electrical power.[1] Nimbus Dam consists of 18 radial gates, each with their own gate bays. These 18 gates today are the ones that were completed in 1955 along with the rest of the dam. Of the eighteen gates, four of them have had their coating system replaced. This prevents the gates from a faster rate of corrosion. The other fourteen gates have the original coating.[2]
As part of the Central Valley Project (CVP), a federal water project that provides irrigation and municipal water to much of California's Central Valley, it was authorized in 1949 as a regulating reservoir for Folsom Dam, and a diversion pool for the Folsom South Canal.[3][4] Construction began in 1952, and it opened in 1955.
The Nimbus Powerplant is located on the north side of the American River and on the left side of Nimbus Dam via looking east. The powerplant provides backup to the main powerplant that is located upstream at Folsom Dam. Each of the two generators contain approximately 7,700 kilowatts of electrical power. What drives the two generators through six penstocks, each about 47 feet long, are the two turbines with 9,400 horsepower. Water is supplied through these turbines. The Western Area Power Administration markets the power that is generated by the powerplants at Nimbus Dam and Folsom Dam.[5]
The dam serves as a diversion to direct water into the Folsom South Canal, which carries water to an area approximately 10 miles northeast of the city of Lodi. The canal once provided cooling water for the SMUD nuclear power plant, Rancho Seco. Today, it continues to provide water for irrigation, water supply, and industrial purposes to its surrounding area.[6]
See also
References
- ^ https://www.usbr.gov/mp/arwec/facts-nimbus-dam-powerplant.html/
- ^ "Final Environmental Assessment: Nimbus Dam Radial Gates Maintenance Project". May 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ House Report 107-651
- ^ American River Basin Development Act, Pub. L. 81–356, 63 Stat. 852, enacted October 14, 1949
- ^ "Nimbus Powerplant". Reclamation: Managing Water in the West. United States Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ "Folsom South Canal". wikipedia.com. Wikipedia. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
External links
- United States Bureau of Reclamation.gov: Nimbus Dam fact sheet
- Parks.ca.gov: Folsom Lake State Recreation Area