Imperial Dam
Encyclopedia
The Imperial Diversion Dam is a concrete slab and buttress
, ogee weir structure across the California/Arizona border, 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Yuma
. Completed in the 1938, the dam retains the waters of the Colorado River into the Imperial Reservoir
before desilting and diversion into the All-American Canal
, the Gila River
, and the Yuma Project
aqueduct. Between 1932 and 1940, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID)
relied on the Inter-California Canal and the Imperial Canal
and Alamo River
.
and more than 50 times the flow of the Rio Grande
.
The Gila River and the Yuma project aqueduct branch off towards Arizona
while the All-American canal branches southwards for 37 miles (60 km) before reaching its headworks on the California
border and bends west towards the Imperial Valley.
Arch dam
An arch dam is a type of dam that is curved and commonly built with concrete. The arch dam is a structure that is designed to curve upstream so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, compressing and strengthening the structure as it pushes...
, ogee weir structure across the California/Arizona border, 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Yuma
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
. Completed in the 1938, the dam retains the waters of the Colorado River into the Imperial Reservoir
Imperial Reservoir
The Imperial Reservoir is an artificial lake formed by the construction of the Imperial Diversion Dam across the Colorado River in the Lower Colorado River Valley of Imperial County, California, and Yuma County, Arizona...
before desilting and diversion into the All-American Canal
All-American Canal
The All-American Canal is an long aqueduct, located in southeastern California. It conveys water from the Colorado River into the Imperial Valley and to nine cities. It is the Imperial Valley's only water source, and replaced the Alamo Canal, which was located mostly in Mexico...
, the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
, and the Yuma Project
Yuma Project
The Yuma Project is a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation project built to irrigate over of land in Yuma County, Arizona and parts of Imperial County, California. The project is designed to exploit year-round farming conditions and water from the Colorado River. It consists of the Laguna Diversion Dam,...
aqueduct. Between 1932 and 1940, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID)
Imperial Irrigation District
The Imperial Irrigation District was formed in 1911 under the California Irrigation District Act to acquire the properties of the bankrupt California Development Company and its Mexican subsidiary. The IID had acquired 13 mutual water companies, which had developed and operated distribution canals...
relied on the Inter-California Canal and the Imperial Canal
Alamo Canal
The Alamo Canal was a long waterway that connected the Colorado River to the head of the Alamo River. The canal was constructed to provide irrigation to the Imperial Valley. A small portion of the canal was located in the United States but the majority of the canal was located in Mexico...
and Alamo River
Alamo River
The Alamo River is a river flowing west and north from the Mexicali Valley across the Imperial Valley . The river drains into the Salton Sea....
.
Background
The Imperial Dam was built with three sections; the gates of each section hold back the water to help divert the water towards the desilting plant. Three giant desilting basins and seventy-two 770 ft (230 m) scrapers hold and desilt the water; the removed silt is carried away by six sludge-pipes running under the Colorado River that dump the sediment into the California sluiceway, which returns the silt to the Colorado River. The water is now directed back towards one of the three sections which divert the water into one of the three channels. About 90% of the volume of the Colorado River is diverted into the canals at this local. Diversions can top 40000 cubic feet (1,132.7 m³) per second, roughly the volume of the Susquehanna RiverSusquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
and more than 50 times the flow of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
.
The Gila River and the Yuma project aqueduct branch off towards Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
while the All-American canal branches southwards for 37 miles (60 km) before reaching its headworks on the 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...
border and bends west towards the Imperial Valley.