New Bullards Bar Dam
Encyclopedia
New Bullards Bar Dam is a dam
in California
on the North Yuba River
and forms the New Bullards Bar Reservoir
, which has a capacity of 996103 acre.ft. It is located near the town of Dobbins
in Yuba County
. The dam is operated by the Yuba County Water Agency for irrigation, drinking water and hydroelectric power production. The dam is a variable radius concrete arch design and has a height of 645 feet (195 m). It is in the top 40 dams in the world for height and in the top 50 for reservoir size.
New Bullards Bar Dam was constructed by the Yuba County Water Agency. The agency was created through an act of the state legislature in 1959 specifically to construct a flood control reservoir in response to the flood of 1955. The bulk of the financing for the dam came from the issuance of revenue bonds. The dam was completed in 1969.
It provides water for the Colgate powerplant, which has a generating capacity of 315 megawatts. There also are three other powerplants on the Yuba River—Narrows 2 Powerhouse, Deadwood Creek, and Fish Release—with a combined generation capacity of 49.15 megawatts.
New Bullards Bar Reservoir
provides flood control space between September 15 and May 31 of each year. There are 170000 acre.ft of flood control storage space between October 31 and March 31.
New Bullards Bar Dam is one of five dams on the Yuba River. The other dams are: Englebright Dam
, Our House, Log Cabin and Daguerre Point Dam (a sediment barrier dam).
s have a combined capacity of 325 megawatts and are some of the biggest ever made. The small Fish Release powerhouse was constructed in 1986 at the base of the dam. It has a capacity of 150 kW and generates power from water releases for fish on the Yuba River.
A 14 ft (4.3 m) diameter penstock drains water from the New Bullards Bar Reservoir several miles through a mountain and down a large hill to deliver water to the Colgate Powerhouse. In 2006 a 168 inch (4.3 m) butterfly valve was designed and manufactured in Europe for installation in the penstock at the top of the hill to protect the powerhouse from flooding in the event that an earthquake or other event caused the penstock to rupture. This valve uses a design similar to the valve installed at the base of the dam many years ago.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
in 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...
on the North Yuba River
North Yuba River
The North Yuba River is the main tributary of the Yuba River in northern California in the United States. The river is about long and drains from the Sierra Nevada westwards towards the foothills between the mountains and the Sacramento Valley.It rises on the Sierra Crest about northwest of...
and forms the New Bullards Bar Reservoir
New Bullards Bar Reservoir
New Bullards Bar Reservoir is a large reservoir in northeastern Yuba County, California, at an elevation of in the Tahoe National Forest and about 30 miles northeast of Yuba City, California. The reservoir is formed by New Bullards Bar Dam on the North Fork of the Yuba River, a tributary of the...
, which has a capacity of 996103 acre.ft. It is located near the town of Dobbins
Dobbins, California
Dobbins is a census-designated place in Yuba County, California. It lies northeast of Marysville, at an elevation of 1742 feet, in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada Mountain Range off of Highway 20 and Marysville Road. Dobbins is north of Oregon House and south of Bullards Bar Dam...
in Yuba County
Yuba County, California
Yuba County is a county located in the U.S. state of California's Central Valley, north of Sacramento, along the Feather River. As of the 2010 census, its population was 72,155. The county seat is Marysville. Yuba County is part of the Greater Sacramento area.-History:Yuba County was one of the...
. The dam is operated by the Yuba County Water Agency for irrigation, drinking water and hydroelectric power production. The dam is a variable radius concrete arch design and has a height of 645 feet (195 m). It is in the top 40 dams in the world for height and in the top 50 for reservoir size.
New Bullards Bar Dam was constructed by the Yuba County Water Agency. The agency was created through an act of the state legislature in 1959 specifically to construct a flood control reservoir in response to the flood of 1955. The bulk of the financing for the dam came from the issuance of revenue bonds. The dam was completed in 1969.
It provides water for the Colgate powerplant, which has a generating capacity of 315 megawatts. There also are three other powerplants on the Yuba River—Narrows 2 Powerhouse, Deadwood Creek, and Fish Release—with a combined generation capacity of 49.15 megawatts.
New Bullards Bar Reservoir
New Bullards Bar Reservoir
New Bullards Bar Reservoir is a large reservoir in northeastern Yuba County, California, at an elevation of in the Tahoe National Forest and about 30 miles northeast of Yuba City, California. The reservoir is formed by New Bullards Bar Dam on the North Fork of the Yuba River, a tributary of the...
provides flood control space between September 15 and May 31 of each year. There are 170000 acre.ft of flood control storage space between October 31 and March 31.
New Bullards Bar Dam is one of five dams on the Yuba River. The other dams are: Englebright Dam
Englebright Dam
Englebright Dam is a high variable radius concrete arch dam on the Yuba River in the Sacramento River Basin, located in Yuba and Nevada Counties of California, USA. It was put into service in 1941 by the Army Corp of Engineers....
, Our House, Log Cabin and Daguerre Point Dam (a sediment barrier dam).
New Colgate Powerhouse
The New Colgate Powerhouse is not located at the dam. It is five miles (8 km) downstream, which increases the head (i.e. elevation change). Its two Pelton wheelPelton wheel
The Pelton wheel is an impulse turbine which is among the most efficient types of water turbines. It was invented by Lester Allan Pelton in the 1870s. The Pelton wheel extracts energy from the impulse of moving water, as opposed to its weight like traditional overshot water wheel...
s have a combined capacity of 325 megawatts and are some of the biggest ever made. The small Fish Release powerhouse was constructed in 1986 at the base of the dam. It has a capacity of 150 kW and generates power from water releases for fish on the Yuba River.
A 14 ft (4.3 m) diameter penstock drains water from the New Bullards Bar Reservoir several miles through a mountain and down a large hill to deliver water to the Colgate Powerhouse. In 2006 a 168 inch (4.3 m) butterfly valve was designed and manufactured in Europe for installation in the penstock at the top of the hill to protect the powerhouse from flooding in the event that an earthquake or other event caused the penstock to rupture. This valve uses a design similar to the valve installed at the base of the dam many years ago.