Sly Park Dam
Encyclopedia
Sly Park Dam is located near Placerville
, California
in the United States
. The dam impounds Sly Park Creek, a tributary in the Cosumnes River
watershed, to form a 41000 acre.foot, 650 acres (2.6 km²) reservoir called Jenkinson Lake. It was constructed as part of the American River Division of the Central Valley Project
to provide irrigation water to a portion of El Dorado County, California
. The dam was begun on May 1953 with clearing operations, and was completed in mid 1955.
The earthfill Sly Park Dam is 190 feet (57.9 m) high, with a hydraulic height of 170 feet (51.8 m), and 760 feet (231.6 m) long. Its auxiliary dam is 130 feet (39.6 m) high and 600 feet (182.9 m) long. The spillway
of Sly Park Dam is actually in the auxiliary dam: it is a concrete chute 170 feet (51.8 m) long and can carry 6700 ft3 per second, while the outlet works
at the foot of the dam can carry 47 ft3 per second. The drainage area of Sly Park Creek behind the dam is 47 square miles (121.7 km²). The Camino Conduit diverts water roughly 7.2 miles (11.6 km) west from the Jenkinson Reservoir for irrigation purposes. Water is also diverted from Camp Creek into Jenkinson Lake to increase the total water yield.
Placerville, California
Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,389 at the 2010 census, up from 9,610 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The dam impounds Sly Park Creek, a tributary in the Cosumnes River
Cosumnes River
The Cosumnes River is a river in northern California in the United States. It rises on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and flows approximately into the Central Valley, emptying into the Mokelumne River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.-Name:...
watershed, to form a 41000 acre.foot, 650 acres (2.6 km²) reservoir called Jenkinson Lake. It was constructed as part of the American River Division of the Central Valley Project
Central Valley Project
The Central Valley Project is a Bureau of Reclamation federal water project in the U.S. state of California. It was devised in 1933 in order to provide irrigation and municipal water to much of California's Central Valley—by regulating and storing water in reservoirs in the water-rich northern...
to provide irrigation water to a portion of El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County is a county located in the historic Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and foothills of the U.S. state of California. The 2010 population was 181,058. The El Dorado county seat is in Placerville....
. The dam was begun on May 1953 with clearing operations, and was completed in mid 1955.
The earthfill Sly Park Dam is 190 feet (57.9 m) high, with a hydraulic height of 170 feet (51.8 m), and 760 feet (231.6 m) long. Its auxiliary dam is 130 feet (39.6 m) high and 600 feet (182.9 m) long. The spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
of Sly Park Dam is actually in the auxiliary dam: it is a concrete chute 170 feet (51.8 m) long and can carry 6700 ft3 per second, while the outlet works
Outlet works
A set of outlet works is a device used to release and regulate water flow from a dam. Such devices usually consist of one or more pipes or tunnels through the embankment of the dam, directing water usually under high pressure to the river downstream...
at the foot of the dam can carry 47 ft3 per second. The drainage area of Sly Park Creek behind the dam is 47 square miles (121.7 km²). The Camino Conduit diverts water roughly 7.2 miles (11.6 km) west from the Jenkinson Reservoir for irrigation purposes. Water is also diverted from Camp Creek into Jenkinson Lake to increase the total water yield.