Pine Flat Dam
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Pine Flat Dam is near Piedra, California on the Kings River and forms Pine Flat Lake. It is a 440-foot-high concrete gravity dam. The dam is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction of the dam was completed in 1954. Its primary purpose is flood control, irrigation and recreation are secondary in importance. Its reservoir is large, with a capacity of 1,000,000 acre-feet (1.2 km³).
Security precautions at the dam taken after the September 11, 2001 attacks have exceeded most in California. Large areas formerly open to the public have been closed, roads have been barricaded and the dam itself is inaccessible. This is likely because of the dam's importance in protecting the region from floods and the damage that the water would do if the dam was breached. In addition, the Army Corps of Engineers, as a military organization, may have more stringent security requirements than the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and local agencies, which control most major dams in the state.
Pine Flat Power Plant is a hydroelectric plant located at the base of the dam. Its three Francis turbines produce 165-MW combined. The plant's generation is governed by flood control and irrigation needs.
