Donnells Dam

{{Infobox dam

| name = Donnells Dam

| name_official = Donnells 62-005 Dam{{Cite GNIS|type=retired|1663497|Donnells 62-005 Dam|accessdate=May 21, 2015}}

| image = Donnells_Dam.jpg

| image_size =

| image_caption =

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| location_map = California

| location_map_size =

| location_map_caption = Location in California

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| coordinates = {{coord|38|19|48|N|119|57|46|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| country = United States

| location = Tuolumne County, California

| purpose =

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| construction_began =

| opening = {{start date and age|1958}}

| demolished =

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| owner = Tri-Dam Project{{Cite web |url= http://www.water.ca.gov/damsafety/docs/Juris(A-G)2014.pdf |title= Dams Within the Jurisdiction of the State of California |publisher= California Department of Water Resources |accessdate= May 21, 2015 |archive-date= December 21, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161221085244/http://www.water.ca.gov/damsafety/docs/Juris(A-G)2014.pdf |url-status= dead }}

| operator =

| dam_type = Concrete arch

| dam_crosses = Middle Fork, Stanislaus River

| dam_height = {{Convert|291|feet}}

| dam_length = {{Convert|714|feet}}

| dam_elevation_crest = {{Convert|4921.8|feet}}

| dam_width_crest =

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| res_name = Donnell Lake{{Cite GNIS|259473|Donnell Lake|accessdate=May 21, 2015}}

| res_capacity_total = {{Convert|56893|acre-feet}}

| res_capacity_active =

| res_capacity_inactive=

| res_catchment = {{Convert|229|sqmi}}

| res_surface = {{Convert|401|acre}}

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| plant_capacity = 72 MW

| plant_capacity_factor=

| plant_annual_gen = 270,234,000 KWh (2001–2012){{cite web|url=http://www.energy.ca.gov/almanac/renewables_data/hydro/index.php|title=California Hydroelectric Statistics & Data|publisher=California Energy Commission|date=|accessdate=2018-04-26|archive-date=February 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226135225/http://www.energy.ca.gov/almanac/renewables_data/hydro/index.php|url-status=dead}}

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Donnells Dam (National ID # CA00264) is a concrete arch dam located on the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River in Tuolumne County, California.{{Cite web |title= Donnells Dam |publisher= National Performance of Dams Program |accessdate= May 14, 2015 |url= http://ce-npdp-serv2.stanford.edu/DamDirectory/DamDetail.jsp?npdp_id=CA00264 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140904020618/http://ce-npdp-serv2.stanford.edu/DamDirectory/DamDetail.jsp?npdp_id=CA00264 |archivedate= September 4, 2014 |df= mdy-all }} The water impounded by the {{Convert|291|ft|adj=on}} high dam forms Donnell Lake in Stanislaus National Forest. The dam and reservoir are co-owned by the Oakdale Irrigation District and South San Joaquin Irrigation District, and the dam is one of three in the Tri-Dam Project.{{Cite web |title=About Tri-Dam Project |publisher= Tri-Dam Project |accessdate= May 14, 2015 |url=http://tridamproject.com/tridam.aspx}} The other two dams in the project are Beardsley Dam and Tulloch Dam.

The dam has a length of 750 feet (230 m) at its crest and a storage capacity of {{Convert|56893|acre-feet}}. Donnells Reservoir, along with the two other dams of that make up the Tri-Dam Project, currently provide water for the irrigation of about {{Convert|117500|acres}} of farmland in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. The reservoir also generates hydroelectric power and supplies water to urban areas.{{Cite web |title=History of the South San Joaquin Irrigation District |publisher=South San Joaquin Irrigation District |accessdate=May 13, 2015 |url=http://www.ssjid.com/about-ssjid/history.htm |archive-date=May 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504084921/http://www.ssjid.com/about-ssjid/history.htm |url-status=dead }}

File:Stanislausrivermap.jpg

History

Image:Donnell_Lake.JPG

The Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) and South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) joined forces in the late 1930s to design the Tri-Dam Project in an effort to satisfy the need for more water for irrigation, as both of the districts’ existing infrastructure was insufficient to meet the growing demand for water.{{Cite report |author= Tudor-Goodenough Engineers |title= Summary report on the Tri-Dam Project, Stanislaus River, California |location= San Francisco, California |publisher= Tudor-Goodenough Engineers |year= 1959 |page= 3 |accessdate= May 12, 2015 |url= http://tridamproject.com/docs/Project_Construction_Report_1959.pdf |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150522142112/http://tridamproject.com/docs/Project_Construction_Report_1959.pdf |archivedate= May 22, 2015 |df= mdy-all }} On January 13, 1948, the districts publicly announced their intent to develop the Tri-Dam Project, which consists of a series of dams, reservoirs and power plants at the current sites of Beardsley, Tulloch and Donnell reservoirs on Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River, as well as improvements to older developments.Jackson and Mikesell, page 3.

Over the next eight years, the districts battled a series of financial setbacks and conflicting claims to the sites where they desired to build the dams. For instance, the Tuolumne County Water District had a prior application for the Donnells site.Jackson and Mikesell, page 13. In 1953, the conflict over water rights was settled with the irrigation districts receiving the water rights. As part of the agreement, Donnells and Beardsley reservoirs had to be used for power generation except in the case that water had to be released to enhance downstream flows. After the rights claims issues were resolved, the districts set out to find funding for the project and, after much difficulty, settled on selling bonds. The OID and SSJID, with the help of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), successfully sold bonds to fund the Tri-Dam Project and started construction of the dams in 1955.Jackson and Mikesell, page 20. The districts paid off the bonds by entering into a contract with PG&E in which the OID and SSJID sold the electricity generated by the dams’ hydropower facilities to PG&E over a fifty-year period; the contract ended in 2004.

Uses

Donnells Dam, along with the other two dams, has become a key producer of electricity. Additionally, the dam is located in a steep, rocky canyon and offers several forms of recreation, including fishing, hunting, boating, camping and hiking.{{Cite web |title= Donnell Reservoir |publisher= United States Department of Agriculture |accessdate= May 14, 2015 |url= http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stanislaus/null/recarea/?recid=15093&actid=42}}