Type Reservoir Max. width 400 ft (120 m) Surface elevation 455 m Width 122 m Water volume 863,400 m³ Inflow source Eel River | Basin countries United States Surface area 163 acres (66 ha) Area 66 ha Catchment area 893.5 km² Outflow location Eel River | |
Primary inflows Primary outflows Eel River, Powerhouse Canal | ||
Lake Van Arsdale, also known as Van Arsdale Reservoir, is a reservoir on the Eel River in California, part of the Potter Valley Project. Located in Mendocino County, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the town of Potter Valley, California, the reservoir supplies water to users as far south as Marin County.
Contents
Map of Lake Van Arsdale, California 95469, USA
The reservoir is formed by the Cape Horn Dam, also known as Van Arsdale Dam, which impounds the waters of the Eel River. A portion of its water (154,000 acre feet (190,000,000 m3) per year, on average) is diverted southward through an aqueduct tunnel to a powerhouse in Potter Valley, where it drives a turbine capable of generating up to 9.4 MW of electric power. Diverted water then descends by means of the Powerhouse Canal and the East Branch Russian River to Lake Mendocino, which supplies the Sonoma County Water Agency. The non-diverted flow continues down the Eel to its mouth at the Pacific Ocean near Fortuna.
HistoryEdit
In 1905, the Snow Mountain Water and Power Company started building the Potter Valley Project. Cape Horn Dam was completed in 1907, and the original project became operational in 1908. Pacific Gas and Electric Company took over project in 1930 and has owned the dam ever since.
Cape Horn DamEdit
Cape Horn Dam is a gravity dam 96 feet (29 m) high, 515 feet (157 m) long, and 10 feet (3.0 m) thick, containing 40,000 cubic yards (31,000 m3) of material. Its crest is 1,519 feet (463 m) above sea level.