Friant Dam
Encyclopedia
Friant Dam is a concrete
gravity dam on the upper San Joaquin River
in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Fresno County
and Madera County
near the town of Friant
. The dam, completed in 1942, forms Millerton Lake
and was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns and operates the dam. The lake and dam are about 15 mi (24.1 km) north of downtown Fresno
. The lake storage capacity is 520500 acre.ft for irrigation
of the San Joaquin Valley
, which is distributed by the Madera-
and Friant-Kern-Canals
. Its secondary uses include flood control and recreation. Upstream from the dam is the Big Creek hydroelectric system.
The 25 megawatt Friant Power Plant in front of the dam produces hydroelectricity
for the Friant Power Authority. There are two smaller power plants that produce power with the minimum-flow release water and the water for fish hatchery
operations.
Friant Dam helped create the nation's richest agricultural region. But drying up the San Joaquin River and destroying its fisheries has adversely impacted much of the rest of the state. Severe water quality impairments in the lower San Joaquin River and Delta are among the problems Friant Dam has caused for downstream areas, including farmers in the Delta who struggle to sustain San Joaquin County's own $1 billion-per-year agriculture industry. Delta farmers who have historically relied on water in the lower San Joaquin River for irrigation must contend with elevated salinity levels that can cause crop damage. Farmers and cities in San Joaquin County have also seen cutbacks in their water supplies from the Bureau of Reclamation's New Melones Reservoir (on the Stanislaus River) because the Bureau uses that facility - instead of Friant Dam releases - to release "dilution flows" into the lower San Joaquin to avoid violations of Delta water quality standards. (http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?section=SanJoaquinRiverSettlement&docId=11213)
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
gravity dam on the upper San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Fresno County
Fresno County, California
Fresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...
and Madera County
Madera County, California
Madera County is a county of the U.S. state of California, located in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada north of Fresno County. It comprises the Madera-Chowchilla, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census the population was 150,865...
near the town of Friant
Friant, California
Friant is a census-designated place in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 549 at the 2010 census, down from 778 at the 2000 census. Friant is located north of Clovis, at an elevation of 344 feet .-Geography:Friant is located at...
. The dam, completed in 1942, forms Millerton Lake
Millerton Lake
Millerton Lake is an artificial lake near the town of Friant about north of downtown Fresno. The reservoir was created by the construction of Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River which with the lake serves as much of the county line between Fresno County to the south and Madera County to the...
and was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns and operates the dam. The lake and dam are about 15 mi (24.1 km) north of downtown Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
. The lake storage capacity is 520500 acre.ft for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
of the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, which is distributed by the Madera-
Madera Canal
The Madera Canal is a aqueduct in the U.S. state of California. It is part of the Central Valley Project managed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to convey water north to augment irrigation capacity in Madera County, California. It was also the subject of the United States Supreme...
and Friant-Kern-Canals
Friant-Kern Canal
The Friant-Kern Canal is a Central Valley Project aqueduct managed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation in Central California to convey water to augment irrigation capacity in Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties....
. Its secondary uses include flood control and recreation. Upstream from the dam is the Big Creek hydroelectric system.
The 25 megawatt Friant Power Plant in front of the dam produces hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
for the Friant Power Authority. There are two smaller power plants that produce power with the minimum-flow release water and the water for fish hatchery
Hatchery
A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish or poultry. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled conditions; alternatively, it may be for economic reasons A hatchery is a...
operations.
Friant Dam helped create the nation's richest agricultural region. But drying up the San Joaquin River and destroying its fisheries has adversely impacted much of the rest of the state. Severe water quality impairments in the lower San Joaquin River and Delta are among the problems Friant Dam has caused for downstream areas, including farmers in the Delta who struggle to sustain San Joaquin County's own $1 billion-per-year agriculture industry. Delta farmers who have historically relied on water in the lower San Joaquin River for irrigation must contend with elevated salinity levels that can cause crop damage. Farmers and cities in San Joaquin County have also seen cutbacks in their water supplies from the Bureau of Reclamation's New Melones Reservoir (on the Stanislaus River) because the Bureau uses that facility - instead of Friant Dam releases - to release "dilution flows" into the lower San Joaquin to avoid violations of Delta water quality standards. (http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?section=SanJoaquinRiverSettlement&docId=11213)