Upper American River Project
| Company type | Hydroelectric facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) |
| Headquarters | Sacramento , United States |
Area served | Sacramento, California |
| Products | Electricity |
| Owner | Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) |
| Parent | Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) |
The Upper American River Project (UARP) is a hydroelectric facility managed by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), located in Sacramento, California, United States.
This system includes a total of 11 dams and eight power generation stations, utilizing the upper branches of the American River within the Sierra Nevada mountain range to produce electricity. The project’s installed capacity surpasses 687 MW, generating approximately 1.8 billion KWh annually, which accounts for about 20% of Sacramento’s electricity consumption.
Water resources for the project mainly come from the South Fork American River and its feeder streams, supplemented by flows from the Rubicon River, a tributary feeding into the Middle Fork American River. The dams collectively provide substantial water storage capacity and create a total hydraulic head measured between the highest reservoir and the lowest powerhouse discharge.
History
The Federal Power Commission authorized the project on August 28, 1957, with SMUD initiating construction in September of the same year. The first operational unit was Jaybird Powerhouse, which began generating electricity on May 1, 1961. Most infrastructure was completed by 1967; however, Loon Lake Powerhouse was finalized in 1971, followed by Jones Fork Powerhouse in 1985. The construction of dams on portions of the South Fork American River, Rubicon River, and their tributaries has resulted in environmental consequences such as obstructed fish migration routes.
Overview
Water diverted from the Rubicon River is stored in Loon Lake, then discharged through Loon Lake Powerhouse into Gerle Creek. From there, it is redirected into Silver Creek—a tributary of the South Fork American River—passing through Robbs Peak Powerhouse before reaching Union Valley Reservoir, which serves as the main reservoir for the project. Additionally, water from Ice House Reservoir flows into Union Valley via Jones Fork Powerhouse.
From Union Valley Reservoir, water proceeds through Union Valley Powerhouse to Junction Reservoir and then through Jaybird Powerhouse into Camino Reservoir on Silver Creek. The flow continues via a penstock to Camino Powerhouse situated above Slab Creek Reservoir on the South Fork American River. Subsequently, it travels through a tunnel to White Rock Powerhouse located at Chili Bar Reservoir on the South Fork.
List of facilities
| Dam | Stream | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| acre.ft | dam3 | ||
| Brush Creek | Brush Creek | 1,530 | 1,890 |
| Buck Island† | Unnamed | 1,070 | 1,320 |
| Camino | Silver Creek | 825 | 1,018 |
| Gerle Creek | Gerle Creek | 5,231 | 6,452 |
| Ice House | South Fork Silver Creek | 45,960 | 56,690 |
| Junction | Silver Creek | 3,250 | 4,010 |
| Slab Creek | South Fork American River | 16,600 | 20,500 |
| Loon Lake | Gerle Creek | 76,200 | 94,000 |
| Robbs Peak† | South Fork Rubicon River | 30 | 37 |
| Rubicon | Rubicon River | 1,450 | 1,790 |
| Union Valley | Silver Creek | 277,290 | 342,030 |
| Total | 429,436 | 529,702 |
|---|
† denotes a diversion dam
| Power plants |
|---|
| Name | Capacity (MW) | Hydraulic head | Annual generation ( KWh, 2002–2012) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ft | m |
|---|
|
Camino |150.0 |style="text-align:right;"|1,065 |
325 |356,187,000 |
|
Jaybird |144.0 |style="text-align:right;"|1,535 |
468 |532,315,000 |
|
Jones Fork |11.5 |style="text-align:right;"|580 |
180 |20,677,000 |
|
Loon Lake |82.0 |style="text-align:right;"|1,179 |
359 |97,891,000 |
|
Robbs Peak |29.0 |style="text-align:right;"|361 |
110 |48,897,000 |
|
Slab Creek |0.4 |style="text-align:right;"|250 |
76 |1,612,000 |
|
Union Valley |46.7 |style="text-align:right;"|420 |
130 |123,393,000 |
|
White Rock |224.0 |Template:Convert 867 ft m disp=table 529,824,000 |
| Total | 687.6 | 1,710,794,000 |
|---|