Keswick Dam, Hydroelectric power station in Shasta County, United States
Keswick Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Sacramento River in northern California, sitting just downstream from the larger Shasta Dam and serving as a re-regulating reservoir. It is about 1,047 feet (319 m) long and channels water through a powerhouse to generate electricity.
Construction of Keswick Dam began in 1941 as part of the Central Valley Project, a federal program to bring water and power to California's interior. It was completed shortly after the nearby Shasta Dam, which it was designed to regulate.
The dam sits along the Sacramento River and is part of one of the largest water management systems in the US. Local anglers and wildlife watchers visit the riverbanks downstream, where the controlled flow shapes the conditions for fish and birds.
The dam is part of an active facility, so many areas are off-limits to visitors. The structure is best seen from nearby roads or designated viewpoints along the Sacramento River.
Water flowing near the dam carries acid drainage from the Iron Mountain Mine, one of the most contaminated sites in the US, loaded with heavy metals. Managing this runoff is one of the dam's less-known but important roles in keeping the Sacramento River free of metal pollution.
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