Auburn Dam was a proposed concrete arch dam on the North Fork of the American River east of the town of Auburn, California, in the United States, on the border of Placer and El Dorado Counties. Slated to be completed in the 1970s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, it would have been the tallest concrete dam in California and one of the tallest in the United States, at a height of 680 feet (210 m) and storing 2,300,000 acre-feet (2.8 km3) of water. Straddling a gorge downstream of the confluence of the North and Middle Forks of the American River and upstream of Folsom Lake, it would have regulated water flow and provided flood control in the American River basin as part of Reclamation's immense Central Valley Project.
The dam was first proposed in the 1950s; construction work commenced in 1968, involving the diversion of the North Fork American River through a tunnel and the construction of a massive earthen cofferdam. Following a nearby earthquake and the discovery of an unrelated seismic fault that underlay the dam site, work on the project was halted for fears that the dam's design would not allow it to survive a major quake on the same fault zone. Although the dam was redesigned and a new proposal submitted by 1980, spiraling costs and limited economic justification put an end to the project until severe flooding in 1986 briefly renewed interest in Auburn's flood control potential. The California State Water Resources Control Board denied water rights for the dam project in 2008 due to lack of construction progress.
Although new proposals surfaced from time to time after the 1980s, the dam was never built for a number of reasons, including limited water storage capacity, geologic hazards, and potential harm to recreation and the local environment. Much of the original groundwork at the Auburn Dam site still exists, and up to 2007, the North Fork American River still flowed through the diversion tunnel that had been constructed in preparation for the dam. Reclamation and Placer County Water Agency completed a pump station project that year which blocked the tunnel, returned the river to its original channel, and diverted a small amount of water through another tunnel under Auburn to meet local needs. However, some groups continue to support construction of the dam, which they state would provide important water regulation and flood protection.
^ abc"Auburn Dam Project Features". Auburn Dam Council. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
^"Tempting fate: A torrent of doubts" (PDF). Sacramento Bee. Protect American River Canyons. 2006-02-19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
AuburnDam was a proposed concrete arch dam on the North Fork of the American River east of the town of Auburn, California, in the United States, on the...
is known for support of the AuburnDam project, despite environmental concerns. People who opposed construction of the dam were particularly concerned...
that the Auburndam site is situated on a geologic fault. This discovery halted the AuburnDam project because of fears that constructing a dam and lake...
The Auburn River Dam is a possible future reservoir located on the Auburn River near Mundubbera, Queensland. The site was recommended for a new dam site...
Sacramento District: Post-Flood Assessment for 1983, 1986, 1995 and 1997. AuburnDam Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2011. Retrieved...
earthquake Ah Pah Dam (defunct) AuburnDam (defunct) Centennial Dam Sites Reservoir Temperance Flat Dam California State Water Project List of dam removals in...
river flows south past Auburn, soon emptying into the north arm of Folsom Lake, a reservoir formed in 1955 by the Folsom Dam. Its waters merge in the...
The dam was authorized in 1965 as part of the Auburn-Folsom South Unit of the Central Valley Project. Construction began in 1979, and the dam was completed...
Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the American River of Northern California in the United States, about 25 mi (40 km) northeast of Sacramento. The dam...
part of the preliminary work for AuburnDam, still stands. County Line Dam, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Folsom Dam, was also never built. One of the...
construction of Sugar Pine Dam over North Shirttail Creek, a tributary of the North Fork American River, as part of the Auburn-Folsom South Unit of the...
Corps of Engineers. "Central Valley Flood Management Systems" (PDF). AuburnDam Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2016. Retrieved...
1995, and 1997. AuburnDam Council. p. 37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2012-03-25. "New Exchequer Dam Spillway Modification...
Camanche Dam is an earthfill Dam on the Mokelumne River in the central California, about 20 mi (32 km) from East Lodi. The dam and reservoir lie in the...
north-west of Monto, is dammed west of Abercorn to form Wuruma Lake, and flows south-east to join the Burnett near Ceratodus. The Auburn River rises in the...
Pleistocene. The dam was rebuilt and completed in 1966. In 1965 the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was authorized to construct the AuburnDam, which would have...
Ferry Lake Auburn University Rowing Club [1] Bartlett's Ferry Dam: Antioch Baptist Church historical marker Reviews of Barlett's Ferry Dam For Cleanliness...
Environmental Protection Agency. California portal San Francisco Bay Area portal AuburnDam Bass Festival Blue Tent Creek Delta Dawn List of crossings of the Sacramento...
1995, and 1997. AuburnDam Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2012. "New Melones Dam: Flood Damages Prevented"...
Systems" (PDF). Post–Flood Assessment for 1983, 1986, 1995, and 1997. AuburnDam Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2016. Retrieved...
Bridge near Auburn. The Placer County Water Agency began a new dam which was completed two years later and has now stood for 42 years. Hell Hole Dam was partially...
Gold Rush-era town of Auburn (elevation 1,200 feet (370 m)) in Northern California. It was created in 1939 when the North Fork Dam, a 155-foot (47 m) tall...
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