History

Stampede Powerplant is a run-of-the-river plant. The power generated is dedicated first to meeting the requirements of the project facilities. The remaining energy is marketed to various preference customers in northern California. The dam is a zoned earthfill structure with a height of 239 feet, a crest length of 1,511 feet, and an embankment volume of 4.5 million cubic yards. The dam is 40 feet wide at the crest.The reservoir, with a capacity of 226,500 acre-feet, provides flood control, recreation, a new reservoir fishery, and other fishery improvements on the main Truckee River, Little Truckee River, and Boca Reservoir. The powerplant was placed on-line in 1988.

The project was designed to improve the regulation of runoff of the Truckee and Carson River systems and provide supplemental irrigation water and drainage for presently irrigated lands, as well as water for municipal and industrial and fishery uses, flood protection, fish and wildlife benefits, and recreation development.

Plan

The Washoe Project was designed to develop water supplies to meet additional needs by conserving excess runoff in project reservoirs, and by saving water now lost to nonbeneficial evaporation and transpiration. The plan also called for using storage capability to regulate flows for such nonconsumptive purposes as flood control, fishery improvement, and power production.

The project was authorized by Public Law 858, 84th Congress, 2d Session, August 1, 1956, as amended August 21, 1958, by Public Law 85-706.

Stampede Powerplant provides the economic equivalent of project-use power to Lahontan and Marble Bluff fish facilities.

General