History
Units were uprated in 1992.
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.
The Trinity River Division was authorized by Public Law 386, 84th Congress, 1st Session, approved August 12, 1955.
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.
Plan
Keswick Powerplant is a run-of-the-river plant which is dedicated first to meeting the energy requirements of the project facilities. The remaining energy is marketed to various preference customers in northern California. Units were uprated in 1992. Normal operations. Maintain and regulate river releases. Plant augments local loads during system disturbances. Western Electricity Coordinating Council, California-So. Nevada Power Area Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada Region Conventional Above Ground Francis 75,000 kW 117,000 kW 1949 58 years 418,952,000 kWh 2007 78 ft Keswick Dam is a concrete gravity structure 157 feet high and 20 feet wide at the crest. The crest is 1,046 feet long. The Keswick Powerplant, located at Keswick Dam, has three generating units with a total capacity of 117,000 kilowatts.