See the inspection reports for important California dams in your region
State inspections of California dams reveal that owners of the facilities have a pattern of delaying important maintenance, according to a Bee review of recent inspection records. Read the full story here.
The Bee reviewed five years of inspection reports by the California Department of Water Resources for 93 dams that the state identified as potentially problematic in the wake of the Oroville Dam spillway failure. All 93 dams are classified as high-hazard, which means that a dam failure could risk lives downstream. The state inspects 1,249 dams in California – federal dams such as Folsom and Shasta are not included.
Inspection reports for all 93 dams are included on this page. Use the map to see if a dam near you is on the list.
Dam with repeated deficiences
Other high-hazard dams reviewed in Bee analysis
Note: Dam locations are approximate.
Almaden
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1936
Capacity: 2,000 acre-feet
Height: 110 feet
Antelope
Owner: California Department of Water Resources
County: Plumas
Built: 1964
Capacity: 22,566 acre-feet
Height: 113 feet
Beardsley
Owner: Tri-Dam Project
County: Tuolumne
Built: 1957
Capacity: 77,600 acre-feet
Height: 278 feet
Bell Canyon
Owner: City of St. Helena
County: Napa
Built: 1959
Capacity: 2,530 acre-feet
Height: 95 feet
Big Creek
Owner: Pine Mountain Lake Association
County: Tuolumne
Built: 1969
Capacity: 7,650 acre-feet
Height: 120 feet
Bishop Creek Intake No. 2
Owner: Southern California Edison Company
County: Inyo
Built: 1908
Capacity: 78 acre-feet
Height: 34 feet
Briones
Owner: East Bay Municipal Utility District
County: Contra Costa
Built: 1964
Capacity: 67,520 acre-feet
Height: 273 feet
Butt Valley
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Plumas
Built: 1924
Capacity: 49,800 acre-feet
Height: 106 feet
Calero
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1935
Capacity: 9,850 acre-feet
Height: 90 feet
Camanche
Owner: East Bay Municipal Utility District
County: San Joaquin
Built: 1963
Capacity: 417,120 acre-feet
Height: 171 feet
Castaic
Owner: California Department of Water Resources
County: Los Angeles
Built: 1973
Capacity: 323,700 acre-feet
Height: 340 feet
Cedar Springs
Owner: California Department of Water Resources
County: San Bernardino
Built: 1971
Capacity: 78,000 acre-feet
Height: 236 feet
Chabot
Owner: East Bay Municipal Utility District
County: Alameda
Built: 1892
Capacity: 10,281 acre-feet
Height: 142 feet
Cherry Valley
Owner: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
County: Tuolumne
Built: 1956
Capacity: 273,500 acre-feet
Height: 315 feet
Cogswell
Owner: Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
County: Los Angeles
Built: 1935
Capacity: 8,969 acre-feet
Height: 266 feet
Conn Creek
Owner: City of Napa
County: Napa
Built: 1946
Capacity: 31,000 acre-feet
Height: 125 feet
Courtright
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Fresno
Built: 1958
Capacity: 123,300 acre-feet
Height: 315 feet
Coyote
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1936
Capacity: 23,666 acre-feet
Height: 140 feet
Crane Valley Storage
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Madera
Built: 1910
Capacity: 45,410 acre-feet
Height: 145 feet
Del Valle
Owner: California Department of Water Resources
County: Alameda
Built: 1968
Capacity: 77,100 acre-feet
Height: 222 feet
Don Pedro
Owner: Turlock Irrigation District
County: Tuolumne
Built: 1971
Capacity: 2,030,000 acre-feet
Height: 568 feet
Donnells
Owner: Tri-Dam Project
County: Tuolumne
Built: 1958
Capacity: 56,893 acre-feet
Height: 291 feet
El Capitan
Owner: City of San Diego
County: San Diego
Built: 1934
Capacity: 112,800 acre-feet
Height: 237 feet
Elmer J Chesbro
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1955
Capacity: 8,086 acre-feet
Height: 95 feet
Florence Lake
Owner: Southern California Edison Company
County: Fresno
Built: 1926
Capacity: 64,406 acre-feet
Height: 149 feet
Frenchman
Owner: California Department of Water Resources
County: Plumas
Built: 1961
Capacity: 55,477 acre-feet
Height: 129 feet
Gibraltar
Owner: City of Santa Barbara
County: Santa Barbara
Built: 1920
Capacity: 9,998 acre-feet
Height: 169 feet
Grizzly Valley
Owner: California Department of Water Resources
County: Plumas
Built: 1966
Capacity: 83,000 acre-feet
Height: 115 feet
Guadalupe
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1935
Capacity: 3,460 acre-feet
Height: 142 feet
Hernandez
Owner: San Benito County Water Dist
County: San Benito
Built: 1962
Capacity: 18,000 acre-feet
Height: 124 feet
Huntington Lake 1
Owner: Southern California Edison Company
County: Fresno
Built: 1917
Capacity: 88,834 acre-feet
Height: 170 feet
Ice House
Owner: Sacramento Municipal Utility District
County: El Dorado
Built: 1959
Capacity: 37,120 acre-feet
Height: 150 feet
Indian Valley
Owner: Yolo County FCWC District
County: Lake
Built: 1976
Capacity: 300,000 acre-feet
Height: 222 feet
Iron Canyon
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Shasta
Built: 1965
Capacity: 24,300 acre-feet
Height: 210 feet
Iron Gate
Owner: PacifiCorp
County: Siskiyou
Built: 1962
Capacity: 58,000 acre-feet
Height: 188 feet
Jackson Meadows
Owner: Nevada Irrigation District
County: Nevada
Built: 1965
Capacity: 52,500 acre-feet
Height: 195 feet
James H. Turner
Owner: City & County of San Francisco
County: Alameda
Built: 1964
Capacity: 50,500 acre-feet
Height: 193 feet
James J. Lenihan
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1953
Capacity: 21,430 acre-feet
Height: 208 feet
Lake Almanor
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Plumas
Built: 1927
Capacity: 1,308,000 acre-feet
Height: 130 feet
Lake Curry
Owner: City of Vallejo
County: Napa
Built: 1926
Capacity: 10,700 acre-feet
Height: 107 feet
Lake Fordyce
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Nevada
Built: 1873
Capacity: 48,900 acre-feet
Height: 143 feet
Lake Hemet
Owner: Lake Hemet Municipal Water District
County: Riverside
Built: 1895
Capacity: 14,000 acre-feet
Height: 135 feet
Lake Hodges
Owner: City of San Diego
County: San Diego
Built: 1918
Capacity: 37,700 acre-feet
Height: 131 feet
Lake Spaulding
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Nevada
Built: 1913
Capacity: 74,773 acre-feet
Height: 275 feet
Leroy Anderson
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1950
Capacity: 91,280 acre-feet
Height: 235 feet
Little Grass Valley
Owner: South Feather Water And Power Agency
County: Plumas
Built: 1961
Capacity: 93,010 acre-feet
Height: 210 feet
Long Valley
Owner: City of Los Angeles
County: Mono
Built: 1941
Capacity: 183,465 acre-feet
Height: 126 feet
Lopez
Owner: San Luis Obispo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District
County: San Luis Obispo
Built: 1969
Capacity: 52,500 acre-feet
Height: 166 feet
Los Padres
Owner: Calif-American Water Company
County: Monterey
Built: 1949
Capacity: 3,100 acre-feet
Height: 148 feet
Magalia
Owner: Paradise Irrigation District
County: Butte
Built: 1918
Capacity: 2900 acre-feet
Height: 103 feet
Main Strawberry
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Tuolumne
Built: 1916
Capacity: 18,312 acre-feet
Height: 143 feet
Mark Edson
Owner: Georgetown Divide Public Utilities District
County: El Dorado
Built: 1962
Capacity: 20,000 acre-feet
Height: 162 feet
Mathews
Owner: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
County: Riverside
Built: 1938
Capacity: 18,2000 acre-feet
Height: 264 feet
McCloud
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Shasta
Built: 1965
Capacity: 35,300 acre-feet
Height: 240 feet
McSwain
Owner: Merced Irrigation District
County: Mariposa
Built: 1966
Capacity: 9,730 acre-feet
Height: 97 feet
Morena
Owner: City of San Diego
County: San Diego
Built: 1912
Capacity: 50,206 acre-feet
Height: 181 feet
Nacimiento
Owner: Monterey County Water Reservoir Agency
County: San Luis Obispo
Built: 1957
Capacity: 350,000 acre-feet
Height: 210 feet
New Bullards Bar
Owner: Yuba County Water Agency
County: Yuba
Built: 1970
Capacity: 969,600 acre-feet
Height: 635 feet
New Exchequer
Owner: Merced Irrigation District
County: Mariposa
Built: 1967
Capacity: 1,032,000 acre-feet
Height: 479 feet
New Upper San Leandro
Owner: East Bay Municipal Utility District
County: Alameda
Built: 1977
Capacity: 42,000 acre-feet
Height: 182 feet
Newell
Owner: City of Santa Cruz
County: Santa Cruz
Built: 1960
Capacity: 8,991 acre-feet
Height: 182 feet
North Fork
Owner: Pacheco Pass Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1939
Capacity: 6,150 acre-feet
Height: 100 feet
O’Shaughnessy
Owner: San Francisco Public Utilites Commission
County: Tuolumne
Built: 1923
Capacity: 360,000 acre-feet
Height: 312 feet
Paradise
Owner: Paradise Irrigation District
County: Butte
Built: 1957
Capacity: 11,500 acre-feet
Height: 175 feet
Peters
Owner: Marin Municipal Water District
County: Marin
Built: 1954
Capacity: 32,900 acre-feet
Height: 230 feet
Puddingstone
Owner: Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
County: Los Angeles
Built: 1928
Capacity: 16,342 acre-feet
Height: 147 feet
Pyramid
Owner: California Department of Water Resources
County: Los Angeles
Built: 1973
Capacity: 180,000 acre-feet
Height: 386 feet
Rector Creek
Owner: Calif. Department of Veterans Affairs
County: Napa
Built: 1946
Capacity: 4587 acre-feet
Height: 164 feet
Robert A. Skinner
Owner: Metropolitan Water District
County: Riverside
Built: 1973
Capacity: 43,800 acre-feet
Height: 109 feet
Robert W. Matthews
Owner: Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District
County: Trinity
Built: 1962
Capacity: 51,800 acre-feet
Height: 150 feet
Rollins
Owner: Nevada Irrigation District
County: Nevada
Built: 1965
Capacity: 66,000 acre-feet
Height: 242 feet
Salt Springs
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Amador
Built: 1931
Capacity: 141,900 acre-feet
Height: 332 feet
San Andreas
Owner: City & County of San Francisco
County: San Mateo
Built: 1870
Capacity: 19,027 acre-feet
Height: 107 feet
San Antonio
Owner: Monterey Co Water Res Agency
County: Monterey
Built: 1965
Capacity: 350,000 acre-feet
Height: 202 feet
San Pablo
Owner: East Bay Municipal Utility District
County: Contra Costa
Built: 1920
Capacity: 43,193 acre-feet
Height: 170 feet
Santiago Creek
Owner: Serrano Water District & Irvine Ranch Water District
County: Orange
Built: 1933
Capacity: 25,000 acre-feet
Height: 136 feet
Savage
Owner: City of San Diego
County: San Diego
Built: 1919
Capacity: 49,510 acre-feet
Height: 149 feet
Scotts Flat
Owner: Nevada Irrigation Dist
County: Nevada
Built: 1948
Capacity: 49,000 acre-feet
Height: 175 feet
Seeger
Owner: Marin Municipal Water District
County: Marin
Built: 1961
Capacity: 22,400 acre-feet
Height: 115 feet
Shaver Lake
Owner: Southern California Edison Company
County: Fresno
Built: 1927
Capacity: 135,283 acre-feet
Height: 180 feet
Sly Creek
Owner: South Feather Water and Power Agency
County: Butte
Built: 1961
Capacity: 65,050 acre-feet
Height: 271 feet
Sly Park
Owner: El Dorado Irrigation District
County: El Dorado
Built: 1955
Capacity: 41,000 acre-feet
Height: 182 feet
Soulajule
Owner: Marin Municipal Water District
County: Marin
Built: 1979
Capacity: 10,700 acre-feet
Height: 122 feet
Stevens Creek
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1935
Capacity: 3800 acre-feet
Height: 132 feet
Sugar Pine
Owner: Foresthill Public Utility District
County: Placer
Built: 1981
Capacity: 6,916 acre-feet
Height: 251 feet
Tiger Creek Regulator
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Amador
Built: 1931
Capacity: 523 acre-feet
Height: 112 feet
Tulloch
Owner: Tri-Dam Project
County: Calaveras
Built: 1958
Capacity: 68,400 acre-feet
Height: 205 feet
Union Valley
Owner: Sacramento Municipal Utility District
County: El Dorado
Built: 1963
Capacity: 230,000 acre-feet
Height: 453 feet
Uvas
Owner: Santa Clara Valley Water District
County: Santa Clara
Built: 1957
Capacity: 10000 acre-feet
Height: 118 feet
Vermilion Valley
Owner: Southern California Edison Company
County: Fresno
Built: 1954
Capacity: 125,000 acre-feet
Height: 167 feet
Villa Park
Owner: County of Orange
County: Orange
Built: 1963
Capacity: 15,600 acre-feet
Height: 118 feet
Whale Rock
Owner: Whale Rock Commission
County: San Luis Obispo
Built: 1960
Capacity: 40,662 acre-feet
Height: 193 feet
Wishon
Owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
County: Fresno
Built: 1958
Capacity: 118,000 acre-feet
Height: 265 feet
This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 3:54 AM with the headline "See the inspection reports for important California dams in your region."