Pit-3 Dam (also known as Pit Number Three Dam and Dam Number Three) is a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

dam on the

Pit River The Pit River is a major river draining from northeastern California into the state's Central Valley. The Pit, the Klamath and the Columbia are the only three rivers in the U.S. that cross the Cascade Range. The longest tributary of the Sa ...

in northern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It forms

Lake Britton Lake Britton is a reservoir located in Shasta County, California. It is known for its wide variety of bass and trout. Its main body is situated to the west of State Route 89, and is mostly surrounded by PG&E Land, Forest Service Land, and McArth ...

, and is owned by the

Pacific Gas and Electric Company The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered at Kaiser Center, in Oakland, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 million households in the norther ...

(PG&E).

Specifications

Pit 3 is a curved concrete gravity dam with a height of and length of . The dam has a gated spillway with three steel gates and three inflatable rubber gates. An intake structure at the dam diverts water into a diameter, long tunnel that connects to the Pit 3 hydroelectric plant. There are three 23.3 MW generators, for a total capacity of 69.9 MW. Lake Britton, formerly known as Pit 3 Reservoir, has a maximum water level of ; however, the lake is usually kept below to avoid flooding parts of McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park. The gross storage capacity is and the usable (active) storage is . The lake level changes on a weekly basis with greater drawdowns during the weekdays for power generation, and refilling on the weekends. In addition to generating power at the Pit 3 hydroelectric station, the reservoir also helps regulate water flowing through the Pit 4 and Pit 5 stations downstream. The dam is the place where

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

crosses the Pit River.

History

Construction was completed in .

References

{{reflist Dams in California Dams on the Pit River Gravity dams Pacific Gas and Electric Company dams Buildings and structures in Shasta County, California Dams completed in 1925 1925 establishments in California

Specifications

History

See also

References