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{{Infobox dam
{{Infobox_Dam
|dam_name name = Terminus Dam
| name_official =
|image= 2006 12 29 - Terminus Dam.JPG
| image = 2006 12 29 - Terminus Dam.JPG
|caption= Terminus Dam from Corp of Engineer's Visitor Center
| image_size =
|official_name= Terminus Dam
| image_caption = The dam and Lake Kaweah as seen from the visitor center along [[California State Route 198|Route 198]]
|crosses= [[Kaweah River]]
| image_alt =
|reservoir= [[Lake Kaweah]]
| location_map =
|locale= [[Tulare County, California]]
| location_map_size =
|maint= [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]]
| location_map_caption =
|length=
| location_map_relief =
|height=
| coordinates = {{coord|36|25|01|N|119|00|14|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|width=
| country =
|began=
| location = [[Three Rivers, California|Three Rivers]], [[Tulare County]], [[California]], [[United States]]
|open=1962
| purpose =
|closed=
| status =
|cost=
| construction_began =
|reservoir_capacity= 183,300 acre-feet (226,000,000 m³)
| opening = {{start date and age|1962}}
|reservoir_catchment= 560 square miles (1,500 km²)
| demolished =
|reservoir_surface=
| cost = $24 million<ref name="KDWCD">{{cite web|url=http://www.kdwcd.com/kdwcdweb_002.htm|title=Recent District Projects|publisher=Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District|date=|accessdate=2013-07-24|archive-date=2011-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409183443/http://www.kdwcd.com/kdwcdweb_002.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|bridge_carries=
| owner = [[Image:United States Army Corps of Engineers logo.svg|24px]] [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]], Sacramento District
|bridge_width=
| dam_type = Earthfill
|bridge_clearance=
| dam_height = {{convert|255|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="CDEC">{{cite web|url=http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/profile?s=TRM&type=dam|title=Terminus Dam (TRM)|publisher=California Department of Water Resources|work=California Data Exchange Center|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref>
|bridge_traffic=
| dam_height_thalweg =
|bridge_toll=
| dam_height_foundation=
|bridge_id=
| dam_length = {{convert|2375|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="CDEC"/>
|map_cue=
| dam_width_crest =
|map_image=
| dam_width_base =
|map_text=
| dam_volume = {{convert|7000000|yd3|m3|abbr=on}}<ref name="CDEC"/>
|map_width=
| dam_elevation_crest = {{convert|750|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="CDEC"/>
|coordinates=
| dam_crosses = [[Kaweah River]]
|long=
| spillway_count =
|extra=
| spillway_type =
| spillway_capacity =
| res_name = [[Lake Kaweah]]
| res_capacity_total = {{convert|185600|acre feet|km3|abbr=on}}<ref name="CDEC"/>
| res_capacity_active =
| res_capacity_inactive=
| res_catchment = {{convert|561|mi2|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name="CDEC"/>
| res_surface = {{convert|1945|acre|ha|abbr=on}}<ref name="CDEC"/>
| res_elevation =
| res_max_depth =
| res_max_length =
| res_max_width =
| res_tidal_range =
| plant_operator =
| plant_commission = 1992
| plant_decommission =
| plant_type =
| plant_turbines =
| plant_capacity = 20.09 [[Megawatt|MW]]<ref name="FERC"/>
| plant_annual_gen = 40,894,000 [[Kilowatt hour|KWh]] (2001–2012)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.energy.ca.gov/almanac/renewables_data/hydro/index.php|title=California Hydroelectric Statistics & Data|publisher=California Energy Commission|date=|accessdate=2018-04-26|archive-date=2018-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226135225/http://www.energy.ca.gov/almanac/renewables_data/hydro/index.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| website = [http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Locations/Sacramento-District-Parks/Lake-Kaweah/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Lake Kaweah / Terminus Dam]
| extra =
}}
'''Terminus Dam''' is a [[dam]] on the [[Kaweah River]] in [[Tulare County]], [[California]] in the [[United States]], located near [[Three Rivers, California|Three Rivers]] about {{convert|15|mi|km|abbr=on}} from the western boundary of [[Sequoia National Park]] and {{convert|20|mi|km|abbr=on}} east of [[Visalia, California|Visalia]]. The dam forms [[Lake Kaweah]] for [[flood control]] and [[irrigation]] water supply. Completed by the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] (USACE) in 1962, Terminus is an [[earthfill dam]] {{convert|255|ft|m|abbr=on}} high and {{convert|2375|ft|m|abbr=on}} long. The reservoir has a maximum capacity of {{convert|185600|acre feet|km3|abbr=on|lk=in}} of water, although it usually sits at much lower levels.
 
==History==
'''Terminus Dam''' is a dam on the [[Kaweah River]], which serves to form [[Lake Kaweah]].
Terminus Dam is one of four dams built on the rivers of the [[Tulare Lake]] basin, located at the southern end of the [[San Joaquin Valley]]. In the 1920s, the USACE and the State of California first surveyed the area for suitable reservoir sites to provide irrigation water.<ref name="brewer">Brewer, p. 55</ref> After devastating floods in the late 1930s, the [[Flood Control Act of 1944]] authorized the USACE to build Terminus Dam as part of a system to provide flood protection for the Tulare basin.<ref>Garone, p. 193</ref>
 
In 1948, with plans for the dam on the Kaweah River nearly complete, an archaeological survey of the future reservoir site revealed an unusually rich selection of Native American artifacts.<ref>{{cite web
The dam provides irrigation and municipal water supply, and as a result, the Kaweah River below the dam is typically dry or contains a negligible amount of water. The South Fork and the mainstem of the Kaweah both flow into the reservoir and the North Fork joins a short distance upstream. The dam is about {{convert|20|mi|km}] west of [[Visalia, California]] and faces [[Central Valley (California)|California's Central Valley]].
|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/smithsonian/terminus-reservoir/sec4.htm
|title=Native Occupation of the Terminus Reservoir Region
|publisher=U.S. National Park Service
|work=Terminus Reservoir: Geology, Paleontology, Flora & Fauna, Archeology, History
|date=
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref> Many of these were removed by the [[U.S. National Park Service]]'s Interagency Archaeological Salvage Program before the beginning of work on the dam.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/smithsonian/terminus-reservoir/sec7.htm
|title=The Inter-Agency Archeological Salvage Program
|publisher=U.S. National Park Service
|work=Terminus Reservoir: Geology, Paleontology, Flora & Fauna, Archeology, History
|date=
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref>
 
Construction of Terminus Dam started in the late 1950s and was completed in 1962. The dam was dedicated along with the [[Success Dam]], further south on the [[Tule River]], on May 18, 1962.<ref name="brewer"/> The reservoir filled for the first time in 1964<ref name="monthly-levels"/> to its initial capacity of {{convert|150000|acre feet|km3|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book
Built by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], Terminus Dam was completed in 1962 to provide flood control and water for irrigation. A project to raise the lake 21 feet (6 m) was completed in 2004. The project included the construction of six 21-foot (6 m)-tall fusegates in the spillway.
|title=Kaweah River Basin Investigation, California, Tulare County and King County: Environmental Impact Statement
|publisher=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
|year=1996
|page=138}}</ref> [[Sedimentation]] had reduced this to {{convert|143200|acre feet|km3|abbr=on}} according to a study conducted in 1977.<ref>{{cite book
|title=Kaweah River Basin Investigation, California, Tulare County and King County: Environmental Impact Statement
|publisher=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
|year=1996
|page=243}}</ref>
 
Together with the three other major dams in the Tulare basin, Terminus Dam contributed to the desiccation of Tulare Lake, once one of the largest wetland regions in the United States.<ref>Garone, p. 194</ref>
<gallery>
 
Image:2006 12 29 - Terminus Dam (3).JPG| Terminus Dam
===Spillway expansion===
Image:2006 12 29 - Terminus Dam (2).JPG| Photo taken from visitor center at Terminus Dam, looking towards Sequoia National Park
[[Image:Terminus Hydroplus.JPG|thumb|left|180px|The fusegates at Terminus Dam are tested by high water in 2005]]
</gallery>
In the 1990s the USACE began studies for a project to increase the capacity of the dam's [[spillway]], which was considered inadequate to pass the probable maximum flood on the Kaweah River. In 2001 work began to enlarge the spillway channel and between 2003 and 2004 six fusegates were installed in the spillway channel, raising the maximum elevation of the reservoir by {{convert|21|ft|m|abbr=on}}. The fusegates, invented and patented by [[François Lempérière]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Patents by Inventor Francois Lemperiere |url=https://patents.justia.com/inventor/francois-lemperiere |website=Justia Patents}}</ref> for Hydroplus, subsidiary of GTM Entrepose, are the largest in the world, and are designed to open automatically by water pressure when Lake Kaweah reaches dangerously high levels. The design was chosen because it would provide cost savings over conventional options such as a concrete or gated spillway.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/features/featurethey-might-be-giants-terminus-dam-s-new-fusegates
|title=They might be giants - Terminus dam's new Fusegates
|work=Water Power & Dam Construction
|date=2004-02-16
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref>
 
The project increased the storage capacity of Lake Kaweah by more than {{convert|40000|acre feet|km3|abbr=on}}, to its current capacity of {{convert|185600|acre feet|km3|abbr=on}}, and ensured the capability of Terminus Dam to pass a flood of up to {{convert|300000|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.hydroplus.com/hydroplus/publications.nsf/(unid)/557BF4A9722906FEC125717F00310D2F/$File/ASDSO2004.pdf
|title=The Fusegate System Reaches New Heights in California
|publisher=Hydroplus
|author1=Kocahan, Hasan T. |author2=Suter, Norbert F. |date=
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref> The dam is now capable of completely controlling a [[100-year flood|70-year flood]], as compared to a 46-year flood before the fusegates were installed.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://enr.construction.com/news/environment/archives/040119a.asp
|title=Lake Kaweah Adds Safety, Capacity with Big Fusegates
|author=Rosta, Paul B.
|work=Engineering News-Record
|date=2004-01-19
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref>
 
==Functions==
[[Image:Kaweah River.jpg|thumb|right|View of the reservoir area, drawn down for flood control in September]]
As a [[dry dam]], Terminus Dam's primary purpose is flood control; consequently, the reservoir is usually maintained at a very low level, except in late spring and early summer when it is used to store snowmelt runoff from the Sierra Nevada.<ref name="monthly-levels">{{cite web
|url=http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/profile?s=TRM&type=res
|title=Terminus Dam (TRM) Reservoir Information
|publisher=California Department of Water Resources
|work=California Data Exchange Center
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref> The dam provides flood protection for {{convert|500000|acre|km2|abbr=on}} of farmland and 300,000 people along the lower Kaweah River.<ref name="KDWCD"/> Shortly after its completion, the dam and reservoir were put to the test by record floods in December 1966, during which Terminus, Success and [[Isabella Dam|Isabella]] Dams prevented a collective $81.9 million of damages.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/1870c/report.pdf
|title=Floods of December 1966 in the Kern-Kaweah Area, Kern and Tulare Counties, California
|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey
|author1=Dean, Willard W. |author2=Scott, Kevin M. |work=Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1870-C
|date=
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref> Between 1962 and 2012, Terminus Dam has prevented $373,225,000 of flood-related damages.<ref>{{cite news
|author=Ritchie, Ashley
|url=http://visalia.kmph.com/news/environment/84359-lake-kaweah-celebrates-50-years
|title=Lake Kaweah Celebrates 50 Years
|work=KMPH Visalia
|date=2012-05-09
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref>
 
Water releases from Terminus Dam are made based on agricultural demand when flood control releases are not required. Snowmelt runoff stored in Lake Kaweah are released at high rates between May and late July-early August during the peak of the irrigation season. The water serves multiple local water districts such as the Tulare Irrigation District (TID) and Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District (KDWCD), as well as urban areas including [[Visalia, California|Visalia]] and [[Tulare, California|Tulare]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.itrc.org/databases/cecaplrp/CEC%20APLRP%20Case%20Study%20TID.pdf
|title=Case Study: Kaweah River Power Authority and Tulare ID
|publisher=California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
|work=California Energy Commission Agricultural Peak Load Reduction Program
|date=
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.kdwcd.com/kdwcdweb_003.htm
|title=About Us
|publisher=Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref> The dam also generates [[hydroelectricity]] from a plant built in 1992 by the Kaweah River Power Authority (KRPA), which is jointly managed by TID and KDWCD.<ref name="TID">{{cite web
|url=https://tulareid.org/district-profile
|title=District Profile
|publisher=Tulare Irrigation District
|date=
|accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref> Electricity generated here is distributed by [[Southern California Edison]]. The power plant currently has a capacity of 20.09 [[megawatt]]s (MW),<ref name="FERC">{{cite web
|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2012-08-28/html/2012-21178.htm
|title=Kaweah River Power Authority; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications
|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office
|work=Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Project No. 14436-000
|date=2012-08-28
|accessdate=2022-07-19}}</ref> upgraded from its original capacity of 17 MW, and generates roughly 40 million [[kilowatt hour]]s (KWh) per year. The KRPA planned to expand this capacity by a further 9 MW, which would allow for the generation of an additional 9.2 million KWh,<ref name="FERC"/> but construction has not yet started {{as of|2020|03|lc=yes}}.<ref name="Sun-Gazette License Transfer"/> In February 2020, the KRPA filed to transfer their operating license to Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, the US subsidiary of [[Ontario Power Generation]].<ref name="FERC License Transfer">{{cite web|url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/02/28/2020-04130/kaweah-river-power-authority-terminus-hydroelectric-llc-notice-of-application-for-transfer-of|title=Kaweah River Power Authority, Terminus Hydroelectric, LLC; Notice of Application for Transfer of License and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Protests|date=February 28, 2020|access-date=July 19, 2022|author=<!--Staff-->|work=[[Federal Register]]|publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719171744/https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/02/28/2020-04130/kaweah-river-power-authority-terminus-hydroelectric-llc-notice-of-application-for-transfer-of|archive-date=July 19, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Sun-Gazette License Transfer">{{cite news|url=https://thesungazette.com/article/news/2020/03/11/kaweah-river-power-authority-selling-hydro-plant-to-canadian-operator/|title=Kaweah River Power Authority selling hydro plant to Canadian operator|date=March 11, 2020|access-date=July 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314152006/https://thesungazette.com/article/news/2020/03/11/kaweah-river-power-authority-selling-hydro-plant-to-canadian-operator/|archive-date=March 14, 2020|url-status=live|first=John|last=Lindt|work=The Sun-Gazette|publisher=Mineral King Publishing|publication-place=[[Exeter, California|Exeter, CA]]}}</ref>
 
==See also==
*[[Central Valley Project]]
*[[List of dams and reservoirs in California]]
 
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
 
==Works cited==
*{{cite book
|author=Brewer, Chris
|title=Historic Tulare County: A Sesquicentennial History, 1852-2002
|publisher=HPN Books
|year=2004
|isbn=1-89361-940-0}}
*{{cite book
|author=Garone, Philip
|title=The Fall and Rise of the Wetlands of California's Great Central Valley
|publisher=University of California Press
|year=2011
|isbn=978-0-52094-849-5}}
 
==External links==
{{commons category|Terminus Dam}}
*[http://local.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=terminus+dam,+california&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=36.416714,-119.00411&spn=0.005966,0.010042&z=17 Google Maps - Terminus Dam]
*[http://corpslakeswww.spk.usace.army.mil/visitorsLocations/Sacramento-District-Parks/Lake-Kaweah/projects.cfm?Id=L218090 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Terminus Dam- Lake Kaweah]
*[http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryDaily?s=TRM&d=&span=1month Daily data for Terminus Dam and Lake Kaweah] - California Department of Water Resources
*[http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/smithsonian/terminus-reservoir/sec1.htm Terminus Dam and Reservoir (National Park Service)]
 
{{coord|36.417|-119.004|display=title}}
 
{{Tulare Basin Hydrography}}
 
[[Category:Dams in California|Terminus]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Tulare County, California]]
[[Category:United States Army Corps of Engineers dams]]
[[Category:Dams completed in 1962]]
[[Category:Earth-filled dams]]
[[Category:Dams in the Tulare Basin]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminus_Dam"