The wet Winter that California has experienced in 2024 is putting some of the dams in the news because they are spilling water. That provides better visuals than I can find on the USACE websites.
We see water flowing in the outlet works. The concrete apron to the right of the outlet is the spillway. [USACE_project]
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| 2:19 video @ 0:20 |
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| @ 1:24 The USACE is spending 100s of millions of dollars to improve the dam. This includes increasing the height of the dam & levees and a larger outlet works. |
In addition to flood control, the reservoir helps replenish the groundwater, and it provides a wildlife refuge.
I used Google Earth to see what the reservoir looks like in a dryer year. It is a good thing that the purpose of the reservoir is flood control and not water supply because it gets rather empty.
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| Google Earth, Dec 2020 |
Mar 2026:
USACE, Los Angeles District posted two photos with the comment:
BIG NEWS for Southern California! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a construction contract valued at approximately $1.13 billion for the Prado Dam Spillway Modifications Project.This project is a major step forward in modernizing our critical infrastructure. The upgrades will enhance flood safety for an estimated 1.4 million people and more than $200 billion in property and infrastructure between the dam and the Pacific Ocean.Our ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ change initiatives are about delivering results by prioritizing our nation’s highest priority projects. At Prado Dam, we’re pairing smarter contracting with the innovative engineering of a labyrinth spillway to provide a higher level of safety for 1.4 million Americans.To learn more, visit https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/.../usace-awards.../.
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I wondered why spillway construction would cost over a billion dollars.
Then I found that the project includes "installation of a new larger capacity outlet works." [USACE_assets]
I presume this is construction of the original outlet works.
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| USACE_assets |
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