PARKER POWERPLANT
Parker Dam and Powerplant
| Plant Contact: | Bill Bruninga, P.E. Deputy Area Manager Lower Colorado Dams Office |
| Telephone Numbers: | Phone: (702) 494-2301 Fax: (702) 494-2812 |
| E-Mail Address: | bbruninga@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 Parker Dam Power Project was authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act of August 30, 1935 (49 Stat.1028). |
| Project Purposes: | Lake Havasu, formed by Parker Dam, provides a forebay and desilting basin from which the Metropolitan Water District pumps water into its Colorado River Aqueduct and the Central Arizona Project pumps Colorado River water into its canal system. Parker Dam Powerplant was added to provide low-cost electrical energy to Arizona and southern California. |
| Plant Purpose: | The electrical integration and interconnection of Davis, Hoover, and Parker Powerplants provides 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: | The Parker Powerplant includes a penstock gate structure, four penstock tunnels, and a powerplant building which houses four hydroelectric generating units. Each of the four tunnels and the penstocks conveying river water from the forebay at the left end of the dam to the turbines is 22 feet in diameter and has a water capacity of 5,575 cubic feet per second. Standing operating procedures specify a maximum flow of 22,000 cubic feet per second through the powerplant yielding a unit flow of 5,500 cubic feet per second. The units are rated at 80 feet of head. The powerplant is remotely operated from the Hoover Control Center. |
| Plant History: | Parker Dam is a concrete arch structure with a volume of 380 thousand cubic yards of concrete. The dam is 320 feet high and 856 feet long at its crest. Parker Dam impounds Lake Havasu including a desilting basin and forebay from which the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California pumps water into its Colorado River Aqueduct. The Central Arizona Project also uses the forebay to pump Colorado River water into its canal system. With funds advanced by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Reclamation awarded contracts for the construction of Parker Dam and Powerplant beginning in 1939. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, by virtue of advancing the funds for constructing Parker Dam and Powerplant, enjoys a perpetual contract with Reclamation which provides that one-half of the powerplant's output is available to be used for the pumping of water into the aqueduct. |
| Present Activities: | The rehabilitation of the five spillway regulating gates and hoists was completed in September 2002. |
| Future Planned Activities: | Painting of the penstock gates and draft tube gates is planned for FY-2006. Rehabilitation of Unit 3 will begin in FY-2005. This will include generator rewind, turbine replacement, and the addition of a solid-state excitation system. These uprates will improve Unit 3’s future performance. Partial Discharge equipment will be installed during the uprate. The asset evaluation was conducted by Montgomery, Watson, Harza (MHW) during FY-2002. |
| Special Issues: | Maintaining reservoir elevation is critical for proper operation of pumping plants for the Central Arizona Project and the Colorado River Aqueduct. Elevations must be kept within 4-6 feet of the optimal pumping elevation. Due to river conditions downstream, the tailrace limits total plant throughput to between 104,000 and 108,000 kw. |
| River: | Colorado River |
| Plant Type: | Conventional |
| Powerhouse Type: | Above Ground |
| Turbine Type: | Francis |
| Original Nameplate Capacity: | 120,000 kW |
| Installed Capacity: | 120,000 kW |
| Year of Initial Operation: | 1942 |
| Age: | 62 years |
| Net Generation: (FY 2004) |
456,943,841 kWh |
| Rated Head: | 72 feet |
| Plant Factor: (FY 2004) |
43.48 percent |
| Remotely Operated: | Yes |
| Production Mode: | Intermediate |
Click here for graphs and charts of Parker Powerplant performance.
Click here for information on Parker Dam.
Click here for information on the Parker-Davis Project.
See also our Lower Colorado Region's Parker Dam and Powerplant Page
Revised June 19, 2006 Hydropower Site Map Help