North America | Keeping Up
From 80th anniversary celebrations to fighting wildfire and legislative victory, IWP&DC keeps up with some of the latest news from across the US and Canada
Right: Shasta Dam in California celebrates its 80th anniversary this year (Photo by USBR)
THE US BUREAU OF RECLAMATION has been celebrating 80 years of the Shasta Dam and powerplant, a facility described as being the cornerstone of California’s Central Valley project and one of the most significant engineering feats in the agency’s history. More than 4700 workers worked on the project
from 1938-45 and their dedication, Acting Regional Director Adam Nickels said, created one of the most iconic engineering achievements in the Bureau of Reclamation’s history.
Standing at 183m high, Shasta Dam is the second-
Below: At 183m high, Shasta Dam is the second-largest concrete dam in the US behind Grand Coulee (Photo by USBR)
largest concrete dam in the US behind Grand Coulee Dam, and stretches 1054m across the Sacramento River. Construction required the placement of roughly 15 million tons of concrete, poured around the clock over four and a half years. “I would like to thank all the professionals who work at Shasta Dam, helping to ensure Reclamation delivers reliable water and power to communities across California,” said Northern California Area Office Manager Elizabeth Hadley. “We are proud of their commitment and the role they play in maintaining this critical infrastructure for future generations.” The Shasta Powerplant, built as part of the original
project, is the largest federally owned hydroelectric facility in California. With a generation capacity of 710MW it produces enough clean energy to power between 355,000 and 710,000 homes, while generating US$50–100 million in annual revenue for the federal government. Shasta Reservoir is the largest water storage facility in California and is vital to flood control, water supply, and environmental management across the Central
14 | September 2025 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
Valley. The dam regulates the Sacramento River and supports deliveries for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and ecological needs throughout the region.
Prize winning
Described as being ahead of its time, Lake Williams Dam in York, Pennsylvania was built in 1912. An earthen structure, it had a 16.7m high concrete core wall with a 1.3m thick base tapering to 0.5m at its top – features which were considered quite rare for a dam built back then. Although Lake Williams Dam remained structurally sound, modified regulations from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection meant the spillway’s design capacity was undersized to pass a new probable maximum flood. Dam owner, the York Water Company, saw this as an opportunity to optimise performance, safety, and resilience by addressing other issues, and so brought Gannett Fleming onboard to come up with a design for dam rehabilitation. After exploring several alternatives, the selected solution included a labyrinth spillway resting on a roller-compacted concrete gravity section, stair-stepped roller-compacted concrete steps on the abutment for overtopping protection, and the retention of the dam’s original concrete core wall for seepage control. The design improved the structure’s discharge capacity, allowing it to safely pass the probable maximum flood and achieve regulatory compliance. Completed on an expedited schedule, the project added over 60 million gallons of reservoir capacity, ensuring long-term water supply security and providing environmental and economic benefits to the region.
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