Opened 1913 | Area 404.7 m² | |
 | ||
Similar Fanny Bridge, Lahontan Dam, Derby Dam, Boca Dam, Sierra Nevada | ||
Lake Tahoe Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Truckee River, at the outlet of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, California.
Map of Lake Tahoe Dam, Tahoe City, CA 96145, USA
The dam is located in Tahoe City and serves as the main storage facility for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Newlands Project that also includes the Lahontan Dam and two diversion dams, providing irrigation water for 55,000 acres (22,000 ha) of cropland mainly in the Lahontan Valley of western Nevada. The present Lake Tahoe dam replaced an older, privately owned dam built in 1870 at roughly the same location.
The dam was built between 1909 and 1913 and stands 18.2 ft (5.5 m) high and 109 ft (33 m) long, raising Lake Tahoe by up to 10.1 ft (3.1 m). Outflows from the dam are regulated by a gated spillway with 17 bays, with a maximum release capacity of 2,100 cubic feet per second (59 m3/s). The reservoir receives water from a catchment of 505 sq mi (1,310 km2) and has a maximum storage capacity of 732,000 acre·ft (0.903 km3). The dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1981.