Don Pedro Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Don Pedro Dam |
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The Old Don Pedro Dam and its reservoir, around 1925.
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| Official name | Old Don Pedro Dam |
| Location | Tuolumne County, California |
| Coordinates | 37°42′45″N 120°24′07″W / 37.7125°N 120.4020°W |
| Opening date | 1924 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete thick arch/gravity |
| Impounds | Tuolumne River |
| Height | 283 ft (86 m) |
| Length | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Width (crest) | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Width (base) | 170 ft (52 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Don Pedro Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 290,400 acre⋅ft (358,200,000 m3) |
| Power station | |
| Turbines | 4 |
| Installed capacity | 30 MW |
The Don Pedro Dam, also known as the Old Don Pedro Dam since 1971, was a large structure built across the Tuolumne River in Tuolumne County, California. This dam is now completely covered by water. It sits beneath the Don Pedro Reservoir, which was created by a newer, much larger dam called the New Don Pedro Dam.
Building the Old Don Pedro Dam
The Old Don Pedro Dam was made of solid concrete. It was a type of dam called a gravity dam, which means it used its own heavy weight to hold back the water. The dam stood 283 ft (86 m) tall and was 1,000 ft (300 m) wide. At its top, it was 16 ft (4.9 m) thick, and at its base, it was much wider at 170 ft (52 m) thick.
The dam was finished in 1923. It was built in a narrow canyon carved by the Tuolumne River. This spot was about 1 mile (2 kilometers) downstream from a place called Don Pedro Bar. The reservoir created by this old dam could hold 290,400 acre⋅ft (358,200,000 m3) of water when it was full. This was only about 14.3% of how much water the current reservoir can hold today.
Power Generation at the Old Dam
When the Don Pedro Dam was first designed, it included a power plant that could generate 15 megawatts of electricity. In 1926, two more generators were added. Each of these new generators could produce 7,500 kilowatts of power. This brought the total power output of the old dam to 30 megawatts. This amount was only about 15% of the power that the new dam's plant can generate today.
Where is the Old Dam Now?
The Old Don Pedro Dam still exists today. It is located about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) upstream from the New Don Pedro Dam, which was built in 1971. The top of the old dam was only about 580 ft (180 m) above sea level. Because the new reservoir is so much larger, the old dam is now covered by about 250 ft (76 m) of water when the new reservoir is full.
