La Grange Dam

The La Grange Dam is a masonry-gravity diversion dam on the Tuolumne River near La Grange, California. The dam was completed in 1883 by the Turlock Irrigation District and Modesto Irrigation District in an effort to divert water into their canal systems for local farmers.[1][2]

For the dam in Illinois, see La Grange Lock and Dam.
La Grange Dam
La Grange Reservoir from the top of the New Don Pedro Dam
Location of La Grange Dam
Official nameLa Grange Dam
LocationLa Grange, California
Coordinates37°40′19″N 120°26′39″W
Opening date1883
Owner(s)Turlock Irrigation District and Modesto Irrigation District
Dam and spillways
Type of damMasonry-gravity
ImpoundsTuolumne River
Height131 feet (40 m)
Length280 feet (85 m)
Spillway typeInlet-drop
Reservoir
CreatesLa Grange Reservoir
Total capacity500 acre⋅ft (620,000 m3)
Catchment area1,546 sq mi (4,000 km2)
Surface area58 acres (23 ha)
Power Station
Turbines2
Installed capacity4 MW
Annual generation18,000 kW h

The La Grange Dam is two miles (3 km) downstream of the New Don Pedro Dam and not only serves to regulate its outflows but diverts water from the Don Pedro’s much larger reservoir into two canals on either side of the river. Each year, an average of 885,000 acre feet (1.092×109 m3) of water is diverted.[3] About 575,000 acre feet (709,000,000 m3) goes through TID's canal to Turlock Lake and another 310,000 acre feet (380,000,000 m3) goes through MID's canal to Modesto Reservoir. Nearly all of this water irrigates crops in the Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts. Another 230,000 acre feet (280,000,000 m3) goes to San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy Water and Power. And, finally, about 780,000 acre feet (960,000,000 m3) of water is delivered to the Tuolumne River channel to maintain flows in the 52 miles (84 km) of the Lower Tuolumne River through its confluence with the San Joaquin River and then into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The La Grange Dam also diverts water to a small 4 MW hydroelectric power station above the east bank of the Tuolumne River that is operated by the Turlock Irrigation District.[4]

See also

References
  1. "A History". Modesto Irrigation District. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  2. "La Grange Lake". FindLakes.com. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  3. Sukhwant Virk and Josh Hinkey. "Don Pedro Dam". UC Davis. Archived from the original on 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  4. "Hydroelectric power stations on the Tuolumne River" (PDF). Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
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