Water-Power Resources in Upper Carson River Basin, California
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Waterpower Resources of the United States 1956-59 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1329 This volume was Pt·inted as separate chapters A and B UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1962 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director CONTENTS [The letters in parentheses preceding the titles designate separately published chapters] Page (A) Wateq)ower resources in the upper Carson River basin, Califor:'lia- Nevada, by H. L. Pumphrey----------------------------------- 1 (B) Waterpower resources of the Wilson River basin, Oregon, by Donald W. Neal, with a section on Geology by David L. GaskilL_________ 31 ILLlTSTRATIONS [Plates• 1-3 are in pocket] PLATE 1. Location map of uppt"r Carson River basin. 2. Profiles of East and ·west Forks Carson River showing power and water sites. 3. Geologie reconnaissance map of Cedar Creek damsite. FIGURE 1. Duration curve of annual discharge, \Vest Fork Carson River at 'Voodfords, Calif., 1891 and 1902-50____________________ 12 2. Duration curve of annual discharge, East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville, Nev., 1891 and 1902-50_________________ 17 3. Map of 'VHson River basin, Oregon_________________________ 32 4. Comparison of mean monthly strearnflow, \Vilson and Co- lumbia Rivers___________________________________________ 36 5. Mean monthly distribution of precipitation at Tillamook, Oreg_____________________________________________________ 38 H. Duration curve, ·wilson River at Cedar Creek damsite_______ 40 7. Photograph of north abutment, Cedar Creek damsite, showing gully formed along a fault, 2,400 feet downstream from mouth of Cedar Creek___________________________________ 45 S. South abutment face at Cedar Creek clamsite, as seen from north abutn1ent ridge____________________________________ 45 9. Area-capacity curves, Cedar Creek reservoir_________________ 49 10. Recurrence interval of streamflow deficiency for selected re- lease schedules__________________________________________ 53 11. Monthly storage requirements______________________________ 55 12. Storage available following proposed plan of de,·elopment____ 56 13. Profile of 'Vilson River____________________________________ 58 Water-Power Resources in Upper Carson River Basin California-Nevada By!H. L. PUMPHREY WATER-POWER RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1329-A A discussion of potential development of power and reservoir sites on East and West Forks, Carson River UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1955 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Douglas McKay, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by t~e Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printinal Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price 50 cents (paper:cover) CONTENTS Page Abstract ___ ~------------------------------------------------------ 1 Introduction------------------------------------------------------ 2 Previous investigations_________________________________________ 2 Maps and photographs ___________________________ -------_______ 3 Geographical features______________________________________________ 4 Location of area____ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ 4 Landuse----------------------------------------------------- 5 Towns and roads---------------------------------------------- 5 Geologic features _____________ ------_______________________________ 6 Earthquakes______________________________________________________ 7 Factors affecting hydraulic structures________________________________ 8 Hydrologic features_____ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ _ 8 Climate------------------------------------------------------ 8 Runoff_______________________________________________________ 9 West Fork Carson River___________________________________________ 9 Water-supply characteristics_ __ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ 9 Developed storage_____________________________________________ 11 Undeveloped reservoir site--Hope Valley_________________________ 11 Plan of development and estimate of power_______________________ 15 East Fork Carson River____________________________________________ 16 Water-supply characteristics____________________________________ 16 Developed storage_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18 Undeveloped reservoir sites_____________________________________ 18 Horseshoe Bend___________________________________________ 19 Watasheamu______________________________________________ 20 Pinyon___________________________________________________ 20 Markleeville______________________________________________ 21 Silver King_______________________________________________ 21 Dumonts Meadow_________________________________________ 22 Pleasant Valley_ _ _ _ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ _ __ 23 Woli Creek_______________________________________________ 23 Plan of development and estimate of power_______________________ 24 Literature cited_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ 27 IndeX------------------------------------------------------------ 29 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Location map of upper Carson River basin______________ In pocket 2. Profiles of East and West Fork Carson River showing powe- and storage sites___________________________________ In pocket FIGURE 1. Duration curve of annual discharge, West Fork Carson Piver at Woodfords, Calif., 1891 and 1902-50_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ __ _ 12 2. Duration curve of annual discharge, East Fork Carson Piver near Gardnerville, Nev., 1891 and 1902-50_______________ 17 m IV CONTENTS TABLES Page TABLE 1. Records of gaging stations in the upper Carson River basin____ 10 2. Illustrative schedule of operation, Hope Valley reservoir for year ending Sept. 30, 1950------------------------------- 13 3. Potential power in kilowatts, West Fork Carson River________ 15 4. Potential power in kilowatts, East Fork Carson River_________ 26 WATER-POWER RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES WATER-POWER RESOURCES IN THE UPPER C~RSON RIVER BASIN, CALIFORNIA-NEVADA By H. L. PuMPHREY ABSTRACT West Fork Carson River offers the best opportunity for power development in the Carson River basin. The Hope Valley reservoir site could be d~veloped to provide adequate storage regulation and concentration of fall would :r:ermit utili zation of 1,400 feet of head in 5lh miles below the dam site, or 1,900 feet of head in about 91,6 miles below the dam site; however, the average anP.ual runoff susceptible of development is only about 70,000 a-cre-feet which limitf the power that could be developed continuously in an average year with regulati<:ln to about 8,700 kilowatts utilizing 1,400 feet of head, or 12,000 kilowatts utilizing 1,900 feet of head. The method and degree of development will be determir~d to large extent by the method devised to supplement regulated flows from the Hope Valley reservoir to supply the water already appropriated for irrigation. If the Hope Valley site and the Watasheamu site on East Fork Carson River wem developed coordinately water could be transferred to the West Fork for distribution through canals leading from that stream thus satisfying the deficiency due to regulation at Hope Valley and release of stored water on a power schedule. This would permit utilization of the entire 1,900 feet of fall. Independent development of the West Fork for optimum power production would require re-regulation of releases from Hope Valley reservoir tJnd storage of a considerable part of the fall and winter flow for use during the irrigation season. Adequate storage capacity is apparently not available on the West Fork below Hope Valley; but offstream storage may be available in Diam'lnd Valley which could be utilized by diversion from the West Fork near Woodfords. This would limit the utilization of the stream for power purposes to the d~velopment of the 1,400 feet of head between the Hope Valley dam site and Wood fords. In a year of average discharge East Fork Carson River and three of its prin cipal tributaries -could be developed to produce about 13,500 kilowatts of firm power upstream of the Watasheamu site, which has been proposed as the location of a storage reservoir, the principal use of which would be for irrigatio" and flood control purposes. Substantial storage regulation would be required because of the seasonal variation in flow; and while sufficient storage capacity i<~ available for such regulation, its value for power development is limited becruse of the lack of concentration of fall below the storage sites where head could be econom i-cally developed. The Watasheamu reservoir with a powerplant near the Horseshor. Bend site could be operated to develop about 5,400 kilowatts of continuous pow€r in a year 1 2 WATER-POWER RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STAT:":S of average discharge; however, priority to use of water for irrigathn purposes would undoubtedly require operation of the Watasheamu reservoir 0:'1 a schedule unfavorable to the production of firm power. It is estimated that 47 million kilo watt-hours represents the maximum generation capability of a plant zt the Horse shoe Bend site in year of average discharge and a large proportion of this amount would be generated during the period of peak irrigation demand and would be seasonal in nature. Installation of about 7,000 kilowatts of capacity in a plant at the Horseshoe Bend site appears