Davis Dam spans the Colorado River in Pyramid Canyon 67 miles downstream from Hoover Dam and 88 miles upstream from Parker Dam. 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.
Davis Dam, rising 200 feet above the lowest point of the foundation and about 140 feet above the level of the river, is a zoned earthfill structure with concrete spillway, intake structure, and powerplant. It has a crest length of 1,600 feet, and a top width of 50 feet. Its reservoir, Lake Mohave, has a total storage capacity of 1,818,300 acre-feet, and at maximum capacity extends 67 miles upstream to the tailrace of the Hoover Powerplant.
Almost 5 million cubic yards of rock and earth were excavated to form the diversion and forebay channel and foundations for the dam, spillway and intake structures, and powerplant. More than 3,642,000 cubic yards of earth and rockfill were required to form the dam, and about 600,000 cubic yards of concrete and 23 million pounds of reinforcing steel were placed in the spillway, powerplant, and other structures.
The semi-outdoor type Davis Powerplant is on the Arizona side of the river immediately downstream from the dam embankment. Water is delivered from the forebay to the powerplant through five 22-foot-diameter penstocks. The plant's nameplate capacity is 240 megawatts.
General
Project
Parker-Davis
Dam Type
Zoned earthfill
Location
2 mi north of Bullhead City, AZ and Laughlin, NV
Longitude
-114.5683
Latitude
35.1967
Watercourse
Colorado River
Reservoir
Lake Mohave
Original Construction
1942-1950
National ID Number
AZ10309
Base Width
1,400 ft
Dimensions
Crest Elevation
655 ft
Structural Height
200 ft
Hydraulic Height (Normal Operating Depth at Dam)
140 ft
Crest Length
1,600 ft
Crest Width
50 ft
Top of Active Conservation Pool (Elevation)
647.0 ft
Top of Inactive Conservation Pool (Elevation)
570.0 ft
Volume of Dam Construction Materials
3.64 million cubic yards
Top of Dead Storage Pool (Elevation)
533.0 ft
Streambed at Dam Axis
455.0 ft
Spillway Crest Elevation
647 ft
Hydraulics & Hydrology
Spillway Type
Concrete ogee weir
Total Water Storage at Elevation
1.8 million acre-feet
Outlet Works Capacity at Elevation
43,400 cfs at 610.0 ft
Drainage Area
923 sq mi
Hydrometeorological Report (HMR)
HMR 49
Spillway Capacity at Elevation
214,000 cfs at 647.0 ft
Maximum Water Surface Elevation
647 ft
Net Generation
968,615,600 kWh
Contact
Owner
Organization: Lower Colorado Dams Office Address: PO Box 60400 City: Boulder City, NV 89006-0400
Operator
Organization: Lower Colorado Dams Office Address: PO Box 60400 City: Boulder City, NV 89006-0400
More Information about the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation