Overview

Completed in 1957, Putah Diversion Dam is located on Putah Creek, approximately 6 miles south of Monticello Dam. The principal function of the diversion dam is to divert water into Putah South Canal. The dam is a gated concrete weir structure with an earthfill embankment wing. It is 29-feet high and has a crest length of 910 feet. The dam creates Lake Solano, which is about 1.5-miles long with a capacity of 750 acre-feet. Lake Solano provides recreation in an area popular for picnicking, boating, swimming and fishing.

Putah South Canal starts at Putah Diversion Dam and runs easterly for about 3 miles, then turns southward to follow the edge of the foothills for about 30 miles, ending near the town of Cordelia, Calif. It was completed in 1959.

The Solano Project, which is located northeast of San Francisco Bay on Putah Creek, collects runoff from the eastern Coast Range. The project provides irrigation water to about 95,000 acres of farmland and municipal and industrial water to the cities of Vallejo, Vacaville, Fairfield, Benicia and Suisun. The project is comprised of Lake Berryessa, behind Monticello Dam. It also includes Putah Diversion Dam, Putah South Canal, Green Valley Conduit and Terminal Dam and Reservoir.

General