DAVIS POWERPLANT
Davis Dam and Powerplant
| Plant Contact: | David Arend Manager, Davis Dam |
| Telephone Numbers: | Phone: (928) 754-3626 Fax: (928) 754-3620 |
| E-Mail Address: | darend@lc.usbr.gov |
| Reclamation Region: | Lower Colorado |
| NERC Region: | Western Electricity Coordinating Council, Arizona-New Mexico Power Area |
| PMA Service Area: | Western Area Power Administration, Desert Southwest Region |
| Project Authorization: | The Parker-Davis Project was formed by consolidating the Parker Dam Power Project and the Davis Dam Project under the terms of the Act of May 28, 1954 (68 Stat. 143). The Secretary of the Interior authorized the Davis Dam on April 26, 1941, under provisions of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (53 Stat. 1187). |
| Project Purposes: | Davis Dam provides regulation of the Colorado River, produces and transmits electrical energy, contributes to flood control, provides irrigation and municipal water supplies, improves navigation, provides recreation, and incorporates wild waterfowl protection, and related conservation purposes. The Mexican Treaty of 1944 required the United States to construct Davis Dam for regulation of water to be delivered to Mexico. The reservoir formed by the dam, Lake Mohave, is used for that purpose through integrated operations of Hoover and Davis Powerplants. |
| Plant Purpose: | The electrical integration and interconnection of Davis, Hoover, and Parker Powerplants provide maximum generation of power with efficient use of water resources. The highly developed agricultural base and the complex industrialization of the Pacific Southwest benefit greatly from Colorado River hydroelectric energy. |
| Plant Facts: | Davis Dam is 200 feet above the lowest point of the foundation and about 140 feet above river level. Davis Dam is a zoned earthfill structure with a concrete spillway, intake structure, and powerplant. Crest of the dam is 1,600 feet in length and 50 feet wide at the top. The dam has more than 3.6 million cubic yards of earth and rockfill with 600 thousand cubic yards of concrete and 23 million pounds of reinforcing steel in the spillway, powerplant, and other structures. |
| Plant History: | This was originally authorized as the Bullshead Project by the Interior Department's Appropriation Act of 1942. The name was changed to Davis Dam in honor of Reclamation's first director, Arthur Powell Davis. |
| Present Activities: | Power generated from the power plant is marketed by Western to wholesale customers in Arizona, Southern California, and Southern Nevada after priority use power obligations have been met. Four of the five generators have been rewound and uprated to 51,750 kW. |
| Future Planned Activities: | Unit 3 will not be rewound as partial discharge analysis indicates the unit winding is in good condition. |
| Special Issues: | Davis generation is the direct result of downstream irrigation needs, not power generation. Lower irrigation and other water demands during October through April only require a maximum of three generators being operated at an optimum level rather than five units operated inefficiently. This allows for orderly, non-overtime maintenance to be performed. This is consistent with good industry maintenance practices by spreading maintenance work over low-demand periods and reducing the scheduled outage time. |
| River: | Colorado River |
| Plant Type: | Conventional |
| Powerhouse Type: | Above Ground |
| Turbine Type: | Francis |
| Original Nameplate Capacity: | 225,000 kW |
| Installed Capacity: | 251,250 kW |
| Year of Initial Operation: | 1951 |
| Age: | 54 years |
| Net Generation (FY 2005): |
968,615,600 kWh |
| Rated Head: | 136 feet |
| Annual Plant Factor (FY 2005): |
43.42 percent |
| Remotely Operated: | Yes |
| Production Mode: | Intermediate |
Click here for graphs and charts of Davis Powerplant performance.
Click here for information on Davis Dam.
Click here for information on the Parker-Davis Project.
See also our Lower Colorado Region's Davis Dam and Powerplant Page
Revised March 26, 2008 Hydropower Site Map Help