Pit 3 Dam
| Pit-3 Dam | |
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KWh (2001–2012)[4] |
Pit-3 Dam (also known as Pit Number Three Dam and Dam Number Three) is a hydroelectric dam on the Pit River in northern California in the United States. It forms Lake Britton, and is owned by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
Specifications
Pit 3 is a curved concrete gravity dam with a height of 130 ft (40 m) and length of 494 ft (151 m). The dam has a gated spillway with three steel gates and three inflatable rubber gates.
Lake Britton, formerly known as Pit 3 Reservoir, has a maximum water level of 2,737.5 ft (834.4 m); however, the lake is usually kept below 2,736.5 ft (834.1 m) to avoid flooding parts of McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park.[2]: 279 The gross storage capacity is 41,877 acre-feet (51,655,000 m3) and the usable (active) storage is 14,443 acre-feet (17,815,000 m3).[2]: 6
The lake level changes on a weekly basis with greater drawdowns during the weekdays for power generation, and refilling on the weekends.[2]: 9 In addition to generating power at the Pit 3 hydroelectric station, the reservoir also helps regulate water flowing through the Pit 4 and Pit 5 stations downstream.
The dam is the place where Pacific Crest Trail crosses the Pit River.[2]: 279
History
Construction was completed in 1925.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Lake Britton, northwest California". FindLakes. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Hydropower License: Pit 3, 4, 5 Hydroelectric Project". Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mar 2003. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
- ^ "Pit River Watershed". California Hydropower Reform Coalition. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
- ^ "California Hydroelectric Statistics & Data". California Energy Commission. Archived from the original on 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ Rountree, Marilyn. "Hydroelectric Dams and Powerhouses". Shasta County History. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
