Sugar Pine Dam

Sugar Pine Dam is an earthfill embankment dam in Placer County, California, approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of Foresthill.^[1] It impounds North Shirttail Creek, a tributary of the North Fork American River, and serves as the primary municipal water supply for the Foresthill community.

Sugar Pine Dam
Sugar Pine Dam from the air
Country	United States
Location	Northern California
Coordinates	39°7′47″N 120°48′5″W
Construction began	1979; 46 years ago (1979)
Opening date	1982; 43 years ago (1982)
Construction cost	$71 million
Owner(s)	Foresthill Public Utility District
Operator(s)	Foresthill Public Utility District
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Earth fill dam
Impounds	North Shirttail Creek
Height	205 ft (62 m)
Length	689 ft (210 m)
Width (base)	984 ft (300 m)
Dam volume	987,500 cu ft (27,960 m3)
Reservoir
Creates	Sugar Pine Reservoir
Total capacity	6,921 acre⋅ft (8,537,000 m3)
Surface area	165 acres (67 ha)[1]
Normal elevation	3,609 ft (1,100 m)[2]

History

The dam was authorized in 1965 as part of the Auburn-Folsom South Unit of the Central Valley Project.^[1][3] Construction began in 1979, and the dam was completed in 1982. The project was transferred to the Foresthill Public Utility District for operation and maintenance in 1984.^[1] Although Sugar Pine Dam was funded through the Central Valley Project, it was never integrated into the project operationally, as it was intended to work with the never-completed Auburn Dam.^[3] The Sugar Pine Pipeline carries water from Sugar Pine Reservoir to the Foresthill area.^[1]

In 2003, the Foresthill Public Utility District purchased Sugar Pine Dam, reservoir, and the pipeline from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for $3.1 million.^[4] As of 2012^[update], the district provides water to 1,875 homes and 75 businesses in and around Foresthill.^[3]

See also

• List of dams and reservoirs in California