Folsom Dam

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Folsom Dam is in Northern California about 25 miles northeast of Sacramento on the American River. The dam is in the city of Folsom in Sacramento County and forms Folsom Lake. Folsom Dam is a concrete gravity dam, which depends on its weight to hold back the lake. It is 340 feet high and was completed in 1955. The dam was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, but after completion it was transferred to the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The dam and lake are part of the Central Valley Project, a multipurpose project that provides flood control, hydroelectricity, drinking water and water for irrigation. Folsom dam upgrades (pdf) to provide increased flood protection for Sacramento are scheduled to be completed in 2015.

Folsom Power Plant is located at the base of the dam. It has three Francis turbines with a combined capacity of 199 MW. The power plant's electricity production is intermediate, between peaking and base load. It operates during the day, when the demand and price for electricity is the highest.

Some old settlements and towns were flooded when the lake was filled; including: Mormon Island and Salmon Falls.

[edit] History of the Dam

Folsom Dam was built in 1955.

In 1995, a dam gate failure caused half the lake to have to be drained, so workers could fix the gate. The lubricant of the gate had been found to be the culprit, as it had eroded the hinges.

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Bureau of Reclamation did an analysis on potential targets for terrorism and measures that can be done to eliminate or reduce this threat. With several hundred thousand residents directly surrounding the American River, the possibility of an attack on Folsom Dam was great enough concern for Bureau officials to close down access to the road which went over the dam.

Unfortunately for Folsom residents, this Dam Road was a major artery in the city. With its closure, traffic has been severe during rush hour times, and businesses along the snarled traffic areas have suffered. Residents and Folsom officials alike have been calling for re-opening the Dam Road in some venue. Though the opening of the road was initially approved, funding for the security measures remained an issue. A bridge to bypass the road is under construction and may be open as early as 2008.

The dam is currently under construction for 2 major projects: a 7-foot raise (to increase flood protection), and a new spillway, which will run parallel to the new bridge under construction.