Oroville in Butte County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Oroville Dam
Photographed By James King, December 8, 2016
1. Oroville Dam Marker
Inscription.
Oroville Dam. . , In deep appreciation of those who had the foresight to plan, design, and construct the Oroville Dam Project and to those who have been operating and maintaining it for the State Water Project and the people of California., Since its inception, the Oroville complex has controlled numerous floods that would have taken untold lives and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage; supplied water to agriculture and to Californians throughout two-thirds of the state; generated energy to operate the State Water Project; and provide more than 13 million visitor days of recreation., Dedicated on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the completion of Oroville Dam. May 8, 1993
In deep appreciation of those who had the foresight to plan, design, and construct the Oroville Dam Project and to those who have been operating and maintaining it for the State Water Project and the people of California.
Since its inception, the Oroville complex has controlled numerous floods that would have taken untold lives and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage; supplied water to agriculture and to Californians throughout two-thirds of the state; generated energy to operate the State Water Project; and provide more than 13 million visitor days of recreation.
Dedicated on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the completion of Oroville Dam. May 8, 1993
Location. 39° 32.519′ N, 121° 29.473′ W. Marker is in Oroville, California, in Butte County. Marker is on Brad Freeman Trail, on the right when traveling south. The markers are in the parking area on top of the dam near the spillway gates. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oroville CA 95965, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured
Regarding Oroville Dam. In light of the events of February 2017, it makes one wonder about the foresight and planning that resulted in a concrete spillway channel built without re-bar and an auxiliary spillway that simply runs over a concrete wall and then down the unsupported and unprotected soil of the mountainside. It also gives one pause to know that these deficiencies were known to the operators and could have been corrected before the near-disaster of February 2017.
Also see . . . 1. Oroville Dam. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on May 26, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Crest Length - 6,920 feet Height Above Lowest Foundation - 770 feet Volume of Embankment - 80,000,000 cubic yards Storage Capacity - 3,537,580 acre feet Area - 15,800 acres Shoreline - 167 miles Completed - October 6, 1967
the collision."(Submitted on February 19, 2017, by James King of San Miguel, California.)
Photographed By James King, December 8, 2016
3. A Sackful of Sand and Gravel
To mark the significance of the STATE WATER PROJECT for the entire STATE OF CALIFORNIA a sackful of sand and gravel from each of the counties was used in the first concrete placed in the core of OROVILLE DAM Symbolic contributions came from the 58 COUNTIES Alameda Alpine Amador Butte Calaveras Colusa Contra Costa Del Norte El Dorado Fresno Glenn Humboldt Imperial Inyo Kern Kings Lake Lassen Los Angeles Madera Marin Mariposa Mendocino Merced Modoc Mono Monterey Napa Nevada Orange Placer Plumas Riverside Sacramento San Benito San Bernardino San Diego San Francisco San Joaquin San Luis Obispo San Mateo Santa Barbara Santa Clara Santa Cruz Shasta Sierra Siskiyou Solano Sonoma Stanislaus Sutter Tehama Trinity Tulare Tuolumne Ventura Yolo Yuba EDMUND G. BROWN, GOVERNOR State of California illegible Department of Water Resources
Photographed By James King, December 8, 2016
4. Memorial to Those Who Died During Construction
These men came from far and near to build this great dam across the mighty Feather River. Many a time it has been said, by those working on a project such as this, "If something happens to me on this job, just put my name up there somewhere." Well, that is what we have done, on this spot, to honor these men who died building the Oroville Dam Project, 1957 - 1968.
Harry K. Phoenix Donald E. Good Wallace F. Read Larry D. Patton Raymond L. Neal Benjamin H. Stamps, Jr. Donald L. McKnight Walter R. Padia Robert W. Pike George C. Boates Joseph F. Pickney Frank A. Jordine, Sr. Lowell E. Riggs Anthony P. Hengel Alford F. Harvey Buel L. Conley Bennie Bush Chester J. Zurek Robert A. Arnold J. Etcyl Mackey Herman V. Bonham Joe Weber Frank P. Arbuckle Orlin S. Campney Elmer D. Bidwell Harold W. Cholcher Fred L. Woolard Paul J. Callahan Eino Abel Steph Melvin J. Hudson Charles Akins Ernest A. Leitner Fredrick G. Dunkel Frazer "Slim" Higgins
Presented by Men Who Built Oroville Dam, Department of Water Resources and Sacramento Valley Construction Unions May 2001
Photographed By James King, December 8, 2016
5. More Dam Statistics
STATE WATER PROJECT Oroville Features Oroville Dam Type --Earth Fill Height--770 feet Volume--80,000,000 cubic yards Crest Length--6920 feet Base Width--3500 feet Spillway Capacity--650,000 cubic feet per second Oroville Reservoir Capacity--3,484,000 acre feet Area--15,500 acres Shoreline--167 miles Recreation Areas---Number--11 ---Area--4154 acres Oroville Power Plant Location--Underground Capacity--615,000 kilowatts Turbine Generator Units--3 Reversible Pump Turbine Units--3 Annual Output--2,191,000,000 kilowatt hours STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
Photographed By James King, December 8, 2016
6. All The Dam Markers
Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 19, 2017, by James King of San Miguel, California. This page has been viewed 609 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 19, 2017, by James King of San Miguel, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of the dam. •
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