TRINITY RIVER BASIN RESOURCE LI BRARY

TRINITY RIVER DIVISION / ---t}nrrot '/~filley Pro 'ect • {Otifornio

Trinity Takes Shape Behind the

A new giant takes its place alongside the others of the , already at work for the farms, cities and industries of the great valley of .

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Reclamation i.

Tallest Earthfill Dam in the World

f or centuries the waters of the Trinity A few facts suffice to demonstrate River in northwestern California have its size. It is equal in height to a 40 story office building. Two Empire State flowed almost unused to the Pacific. For Buildings, laid end to end, would be more than two decades, men have completely covered by the dam. More dreamed of harnessing these waters and than six million truck miles were trav­ putting them to beneficial uses. eled in placing the material for the Trinity Dam, the tallest earthfill dam embankment. in the world, is the first step in making From canyon wall to canyon wall, its that dream a reality. Other tunnels, crest reaches 2,450 feet, or nearly a half smaller , and power plants, form­ mile. Its thickness at the base IS even ing the link between surplus mountain greater, or 2,960 feet. waters and the fertile fields of the valley, When torrential mountain storms are swiftly taking shape. sweep the Trinity watershed, and _it is Trinity Dam, towering 537 feet above necessary to spill water from the reser­ its bedrock foundation and 465 feet voir, a 20-foot diameter glory hole spill­ above the old streambed of the Trinity way and outlet conduits in the dam can River, stands complete. Behind its mas­ release 30,000 cubic feet per second, or sive bulk of 33 million cubic yards of about 20 billion ~;allons per da~. earth and rock are being stored 2,500,000 Visitors can reach the dam by turn­ acre-feet of water, awaiting the day in ing west from U. S. Highway 99 in 1963 when its network of power plants Redding at the junction of U. S. 299. go on the line, and water flows into After a 40-mile drive on scenic routes the distribution systems of the Central Trinity Dam is about 10 mile.s off th~ main highway. Valley Project.

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Upstream V iew During Construction

... ~ ... : Multiple Us.e of a Great Natural Resource

The dam creates a lake covering The great natural wealth of the upper 16,400 acres with a scenic 145-mile Trinity River Basin will be put to use in a variety of ways, and an even greater shoreline in heavily timbered mountains. The main arm of the reservoir, on the number of places. main stem of the Trinity River, \vill extend 19 miles northward from the dam. A second arm will extend several miles to the west on Stuart's Fork. R ecreational areas around the rese r­ voir will be administered by the Shasta­ Operating in conjunction with Shasta Trinity National Forest. Dam on the not far to the east, Trinity Dam and its related units will make available 1,422,000 acre­ feet of water for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, production of electric .. power, navigation, and provide important fish and wildlife and recreational bene­ fits. Even though it is primarily a con­ servation structure, Trinity provides a Just below Trinity Dam a 100,000 !asure of flood control to communities kilowatt hydroelectric power plant is uvwnstream on the river. included. This plant and the three others of the project will add 385,000 kilowatts of capacity to the Central Valley Project generation system. The entire project ts located in an area rich in early California history. Gold was discovered on ·clear Creek immediately following the Mother Lode Its operations call for release of discovery, setting off a northern off­ water into the river downstream to help shoot of the Gold Rush of 1849. Ghost sustain the great salmon and steelhead towns, some of them restored, dot the fi sheries of the Trinity. A fi sh hatchery area. Trinity Reservoir is the center of downstream from the dam will compen­ sate for spawning areas inundated by some of the state's finest hunting and the reservoir. fishing country. Another Vital Unit of the Central Valley Project kilowatt Clear Creek Powerplant and then into ri~ity Dam and its related features com­ the 253,200 acre-foot Whiskeytown Reservoir T pnse the Trinity Division, a major seg­ on Clear Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento ment of the Central Vall~;y Project. River. From Whiskeytown Reservoir, the Construction began in 1955 with completion water from Trinity River and surplus flows scheduled for 1963 at a cost of $250 million. from Clear Creek will flow through the Spring Trinity River water will be stored in the Creek tunnel to the 150,000 kilowatt Spring 2,500,000 acre-foot behind Trinity Creek Powerplant and discharge into existing Dam· Releases from this reservoir will be Keswick Reservoir on the Sacramento River. utilized by a 100,000 kilowatt powerplant and Below , Trinity Division waters r-eregulated in Lewiston Reservoir about seven combined with the Sacramento· River will be miles downstream. Lewiston Dam with the 350 used to provide irrigation service to lands in kilowatt Lewiston Powerplant will regulate Shasta County, to meet the ultimate require­ and release water to meet the downstream ments of the Sacramento Canals, and to help requirements of the Trinity River Basin, in­ supply lands in the Delta-Mendota Canal cluding those of the important Trinity River service area and other areas of the Central fishery. Water not needed in the Trinity River Valley Project. · Basin will be diverted by Lewiston Dam through the Clear Creek Tunnel to the 1.14 .000

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ln its assigned function as the Nation's principal naJ.UTal resource agency, the Department of the Interior bears a special obligation to assure that our expendable resources are conserved, that renewable resources are managed to produce optimum yields, and that all resources contribute their full measure to the progress. prosperity, and security of America. now and in tbe future.

Unrevised Edition f.pril 1963