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Slab Creek Dam facts for kids

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Slab Creek Dam is a large dam located in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains in El Dorado County, California. It's built on the South Fork American River, which is part of the bigger American River system. This dam helps create electricity for homes and businesses.

The dam and the lake it forms are named after Slab Creek, a smaller stream nearby.

What is Slab Creek Dam?

Slab Creek Dam is a special type of dam called a concrete arch dam. It's shaped like a curve, which helps it hold back a lot of water. This dam was built in 1967 by a company called the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). SMUD is in charge of providing electricity to many people in the area.

The dam is very tall, about 250 feet (76 meters) high, which is like a 25-story building! It's also very long, stretching 825 feet (251 meters) across the river at the top.

Slab Creek Reservoir: A Mountain Lake

The dam creates a lake called Slab Creek Reservoir. This reservoir is like a big, calm lake in the mountains. It covers about 249 acres of land when it's full. That's about the size of 188 football fields! The reservoir can hold a lot of water, about 16,600 acre-feet.

People enjoy visiting Slab Creek Reservoir for fun activities like:

  • Fishing for different kinds of fish.
  • Camping in nature with friends and family.
  • Rafting on the water, especially on the river below the dam.

How Dams Make Electricity

Slab Creek Dam is part of a bigger system called the Upper American River Project. This project uses several dams and reservoirs to create hydroelectric power. This means electricity is made from the power of moving water.

Here's how it generally works:

  • Water from the reservoir flows through large pipes.
  • This moving water spins giant turbines, which are like big propellers.
  • The spinning turbines then power generators.
  • These generators create electricity that travels through power lines to homes and schools.

Other important dams that are part of this project include Ice House Dam, Loon Lake Dam, and Union Valley Dam.

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