- Davis Dam
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Davis Dam 
Davis DamOfficial name Davis Dam Location Clark County, Nevada / Mohave County, Arizona, USA Coordinates 35°11′56″N 114°34′10″W / 35.19876°N 114.56949°WCoordinates: 35°11′56″N 114°34′10″W / 35.19876°N 114.56949°W Opening date 1951 Dam and spillways Height 60m Length 490m Impounds Colorado River Reservoir Creates Lake Mohave Surface area 26,500 acres (10,700 Ha) Power station Hydraulic head 41m Turbines 5 Francis turbines Installed capacity 251 MW Davis Dam is a dam on the Colorado River about 70 miles (110 km) downstream from Hoover Dam. It stretches across the border between Arizona and Nevada. Originally called Bullhead Dam, Davis Dam was renamed after Arthur Powell Davis, who was the director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1914 to 1932. The United States Bureau of Reclamation owns and operates the dam, which was completed in 1951.
Davis Dam is a zoned earth fill dam with a concrete spillway, 1,600 ft (490 m) in length at the crest, and 200 ft (61 m) high. The earth fill dam begins on the Nevada side, but it does not extend to the Arizona side. Instead, there is an inlet formed by earth and concrete. At the end of the inlet, there is the spillway. The power plant is on the side of the inlet, perpendicular to the dam. This is a very unusual design. The dam's purpose is to re-regulate releases from Hoover Dam and facilitate the delivery of Colorado River water to Mexico. Bullhead City, Arizona, and Laughlin, Nevada, are located just below the dam along the river. Davis Camp is also nearby. Bullhead City was originally a construction town for workers building the dam.
A road is located on the crest of the earth fill portion of the dam and a bridge spans the inlet. It was formerly a stretch of Arizona State Route 68. The highway was rerouted in 2004, which allowed more lanes for the highway and increased security at the dam. Also, barriers have been placed on each side of the dam. The barriers are intended to stop vehicles, but pedestrians are not prohibited on the dam. The rest of the road is open to traffic.
The Davis Dam Power Plant is located on the Arizona side of the dam. The hydroelectric plant generates between 1 and 2 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. The plant has a capacity of 251 MW (337,000 hp) and the tops of its five Francis turbines are visible from outside the plant. The plant's head is 136 ft (41 m).
Davis Dam impounds the Colorado River and forms Lake Mohave.
See also
- List of power stations in the United States
- Bullhead City, Arizona
External links
Power stations in Arizona Coal-fired
generating stationsHydroelectric dams Wind farms Solar thermal plants Nuclear plants Utility companies Arizona Electric Power Cooperative • Arizona Public Service • Salt River Project • Tucson Electric PowerCategories:- Buildings and structures in Clark County, Nevada
- Landmarks in Arizona
- Landmarks in Nevada
- Dams of the Lower Colorado River Valley
- Colorado River
- Dams in Arizona
- Dams in Nevada
- Hydroelectric power plants in Arizona
- Hydroelectric power plants in Nevada
- Mojave Desert
- Buildings and structures in Mohave County, Arizona
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