Poe Dam is a concrete gravity diversion dam on the North Fork Feather River, about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Lake Oroville in Butte County, California in the United States. Completed in 1959, the dam is the lowermost component of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Feather River Canyon Power Project, a system of 10 hydroelectric stations along the North Fork.[3] The dam is 60 ft (18 m) high and 440 ft (130 m) long, with water flows controlled by four 50 ft × 41 ft (15 m × 12 m) radial gates.[1][4]

Poe Dam
The Poe Dam in March 2022
Poe Dam is located in California
Poe Dam
Location of Poe Dam in California
LocationButte County, California, United States
Coordinates39°48′34″N 121°25′57″W / 39.80944°N 121.43250°W / 39.80944; -121.43250
Opening date1953; 71 years ago (1953)
Dam and spillways
Type of damGated overflow dam
ImpoundsNorth Fork Feather River
Height62 ft (19 m)[1]
Length441 ft (134 m)[1]
Reservoir
Total capacity1,150 acre⋅ft (1,420,000 m3)[1]
Catchment area1,950 sq mi (5,100 km2)[1]
Power Station
Installed capacity120 MW[2]
Annual generation536,397,000 KWh (2001–2012)[2]

The dam diverts water through an 6.3-mile (10.1 km) tunnel to the 120 megawatt[2] Poe Powerhouse, located on the upper reaches of Lake Oroville. The powerhouse has a rated hydraulic head of 477 ft (145 m), generating about 500 million kilowatt hours annually.[5]

On November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire, a destructive wildfire that destroyed the nearby community of Concow and the town of Paradise and caused multiple deaths, originated close to Poe Dam at the location of downed power lines across the Feather River.[6] In an initial comment, PG&E stated that a cause of the fire had not been determined yet and that there would be an investigation.[6]

Poe Dam is a popular kayaking site.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Dams Within the Jurisdiction of the State of California Listed Alphabetically By Name Of Dam" (PDF). Division of Safety of Dams. California Department of Water Resources. 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  2. ^ a b c "California Hydroelectric Statistics & Data". California Energy Commission. Archived from the original on 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  3. ^ "Poe Reservoir Sediment Study – Plumas County, California". Sediment Transport & Erosion Control. WRECO. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  4. ^ "Feather River 'Stairway of Power'". Western Pacific Online. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  5. ^ Indar, Josh (2003-05-01). "Power up! County rolls dice with PG&E for control of Poe hydro plant". Chico News & Review. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  6. ^ a b c Gafni, Matthias (2018-11-09). "PG&E power lines may have sparked deadly Camp Fire, according to radio transmissions". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
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