Boca Dam is an earthfill dam

Embankment dam

An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...

 and a part of the Truckee Storage Project that encompasses Nevada County, California

Nevada County, California

Nevada County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of California, in the Mother Lode country. As of 2010 its population was 98,764. The county seat is Nevada City.-History:Nevada County was created in 1851 from parts of Yuba County....

 and Washoe County, Nevada

Washoe County, Nevada

Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 421,407 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.-History:...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Open year-round, it is located at the southern end of Boca Reservoir

Boca Reservoir

Boca Reservoir is an artificial lake in the Tahoe National Forest of Nevada County, California, created by the construction of Boca Dam across Little Truckee River, approximately 10 km northeast of Truckee.-External links:...

, 1 mi (2 km) north of Interstate 80

Interstate 80

Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...

, 0.3 mi (482.8 m) above the confluence of the Little Truckee River

Little Truckee River

The Little Truckee River is a river that is a tributary to its larger counterpart, the Truckee River, located in Nevada County in eastern California.-Description:...

 and the Truckee River

Truckee River

The Truckee River is a stream in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river is about long. Its endorheic drainage basin is about , of which about are in Nevada. The Truckee is the sole outlet of Lake Tahoe and drains part of the high Sierra Nevada, emptying into Pyramid Lake in the Great...

, and 6 mi (9.7 km) northeast of Truckee, California

Truckee, California

Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. The population was 16,180 at the 2010 census, up from 13,864 at the 2000 census.-Name:...

. Reno, Nevada

Reno, Nevada

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

 lies 27 mi (43 km) to the east.

Boca Dam's area of significance includes agriculture, conservation, and engineering. It is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, and operated by the Washoe County Water Conservation District. The technical point of contact is the United States District Court Water Master's Office in Reno. The dam's major period of significance was 1925 through 1949.

Dimensions

• Crest elevation: 5615 ft (1,711 m)
• Structural height: 93 ft (28 m)
• Crest length: 1629 ft (497 m)
• Top of joint use: 5605 ft (1,708 m)
• Top of active conservation: 5596.37 ft (1,706 m)
• Top of inactive conservation: N/A
• Spillway crest: 5589 ft (1,704 m)
• Top of dead storage: 5521 ft (1,683 m)
• Streambed at dam axis: 5512 ft (1,680 m)

Landmark

The dam is registered in the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. Its commemorative plaque states:

BOCA DAM 1937 - 1940

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

HAROLD L. ICKES...SECRETARY

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

JOHN C. PAGE...COMMISSIONER

R. F. WALTER...CHIEF ENGINEER

L. J. FOSTER AND C. S. HALE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERS

HEIGHT..............116 FEET

LENGTH..............1629 FEET

STORAGE CAPACITY....40,901 ACRE-FEET

CONTRACTOR..........GEORGE W. CONDON CO.

External links

• Boca Dam at Noehill Travels in California