Sediment pass-through, an alternative to reservoir dredging
- Pacific Gas and Electric Co., San Francisco, CA (United States)
- Pacific and Gas Electric Co., San Ramon, CA (United States)
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is studying an alternative {open_quotes}Sediment Management Plan{close_quotes} (SMP) to control sediments at Rock Creek Reservoir and the downstream Cresta Reservoir on the North Fork Feather River in Plumas County. The reservoirs are part of the 182,000 kW Rock Creek-Cresta Project hydroelectric development. Approximately 5.4 million cubic meters of sediments, deposited in the two reservoirs since they were placed in service in 1949 and 1950, partially obstruct the dams` low level outlets and pipe inlets supplying water for spillway gate operations. The sediments jeopardize the reliable and efficient operation of the dams and powerhouses. The SMP includes retrofitting Rock Creek and Cresta Dams with additional low-level gated outlets and modification of trash racks at the existing low level outlet pipes at each dam to improve sediment pass-through (SPT) capacity during high flows. Also, to enable construction of the dam modifications and to facilitate the initiation of SPT operation, dredging of approximately 46,000 cubic meters at Rock Creek Reservoir and 57,000 cubic meters at Cresta Reservoir can be accomplished using a new slurry pump dredging technology to minimize turbidity and re-suspension of solids during dredging. It is proposed to deposit the sediment on the reservoir bottoms, upstream of the areas to be dredged. The dredged sediments subsequently would be flushed from the reservoirs during SPT operations to ultimately be deposited in the dead storage volume of a large downstream reservoir, Lake Oroville. The SPT management plan supersedes more costly plans for major dredging, and may preclude the need for future maintenance dredging at the reservoirs.
- OSTI ID:
- 220161
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9507190-; TRN: 96:000708-0243
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waterpower 1995: international conference, San Francisco, CA (United States), 25-28 Jul 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Waterpower`95. Volume 1-3; Cassidy, J.L. [ed.]; PB: 2869 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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