| Poe Dam | |
| Location Map: | California |
| Location Map Size: | 250 |
| Location Map Caption: | Location of Poe Dam in California |
| Coordinates: | 39.8094°N -121.4325°W |
| Location: | Butte County, California, United States |
| Dam Type: | Gated overflow dam |
| Dam Height: | 62feet[1] |
| Dam Length: | 441feet |
| Res Capacity Total: | 1150acre feet |
| Res Catchment: | 1950mi2 |
| Plant Capacity: | 120 MW |
| Plant Annual Gen: | 536,397,000 KWh (2001–2012)[2] |
Poe Dam is a concrete gravity diversion dam on the North Fork Feather River, about 5miles north of Lake Oroville in Butte County, California in the United States. Completed in 1959, the dam is the lowermost component of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Feather River Canyon Power Project, a system of 10 hydroelectric stations along the North Fork.[3] The dam is 60feet high and 440feet long, with water flows controlled by four 50x radial gates.[1] [4]
The dam diverts water through an 6.3miles tunnel to the 120 megawatt[2] Poe Powerhouse, located on the upper reaches of Lake Oroville. The powerhouse has a rated hydraulic head of 477feet, generating about 500 million kilowatt hours annually.[5]
On November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire, a destructive wildfire that destroyed the nearby community of Concow and the town of Paradise and caused multiple deaths, originated close to Poe Dam at the location of downed power lines across the Feather River.[6] In an initial comment, PG&E stated that a cause of the fire had not been determined yet and that there would be an investigation.
Poe Dam is a popular kayaking site.