Overview

Shasta Dam is located about nine miles northwest of Redding, California, on the Sacramento River. Built during the seven-year period between 1938 and 1945, the dam is a 602-foot-high concrete gravity dam, which provides flood control, power, and water supply benefits. The reservoir is also used extensively for recreation.

Shasta Dam and Shasta Reservoir are key facilities in the Central Valley Project. The water stored in the reservoir represents about 41 percent of the stored water in the CVP. Shasta Reservoir is fed by the Sacramento, Pit, and McCloud rivers, with additional water coming from Squaw Creek. This drainage area receives an average of 62 inches of annual precipitation, which in pre-dam years was a major contributor to frequent floods in the valley below. With the construction of Shasta Dam, the river flows have been regulated and water stored. Water is used for irrigation, municipal and industrial needs, salinity control for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and to meet environmental needs. Water released to the river is sent through the Shasta Powerplant, which produces hydroelectric power for the 15-state western power grid.

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Hydraulics & Hydrology