NIMBUS POWERPLANT
Nimbus Dam and Powerplant
Plant Contact: | Mike Finnegan Area Manager, Central California Area Office |
Telephone Numbers: | Phone: (916) 988-1707 Fax: (916) 275-2441 |
E-Mail Address: | mfinnegan@mp.usbr.gov |
Reclamation Region: | Mid-Pacific |
NERC Region: | Western Electricity Coordinating Council, California-Southern Nevada Power Area |
PMA Service Area: | Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada Region |
Project Authorization: | Funds for construction of the initial features of the Central Valley Project were provided by the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 115). The Secretary of the Interior authorized the project and the President approved it on December 2, 1935. |
Project Purposes: | The Central Valley Project, one of the Nation's major water conservation developments, extends from the Cascade Range on the north to the semiarid but fertile plains along the Kern River on the south. Initial features of the project were built primarily to protect the Central Valley from crippling water shortages and menacing floods. New project units were built to provide water and power to match the continued growth of the State. Although developed primarily for irrigation, this multiple-purpose project also provides flood control, improves Sacramento River navigation, supplies domestic and industrial water, generates electric power, conserves fish and wildlife, creates opportunities for recreation, and enhances water quality. |
Plant Facts: | Nimbus Dam forms Lake Natoma to reregulate the releases for power made through Folsom Powerplant. Nimbus Dam is a concrete gravity structure 87 feet high and 28 feet wide at the crest. The crest is 1,093 feet long. |
Plant Purpose: | Nimbus Powerplant is a run-of-the-river plant and provides station service backup for Folsom Powerplant. |
Present Activities: | Normal operations. Maintain and regulate river releases. |
Future Planned Activities: | None |
Special Issues: | None |
River: | American River |
Plant Type: | Conventional |
Powerhouse Type: | Above Ground |
Turbine Type: | Kaplan |
Original Nameplate Capacity: | 13,500 kW |
Installed Capacity: | 13,500 kW |
Year of Initial Operation: | 1955 |
Age: | 50 years |
Net Generation: (FY 2005) |
67,752,000 kWh |
Rated Head: | 20 feet |
Plant Factor: (FY 2005) |
57.52 percent |
Remotely Operated: | Yes |
Production Mode: | Base Load |
Click here for graphs and charts of Nimbus Powerplant performance.
Click here for information on Nimbus Dam.
Click here for information on the Central Valley Project.
Revised December 28, 2005 Hydropower Site Map Help