Coolidge Dam
| Coolidge Dam | |
|---|---|
Upstream face of Coolidge Dam, from Historic American Engineering Record
|
|
| Country | United States |
| Location | Gila / Pinal counties, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 33°10′29″N 110°31′40″W / 33.174687°N 110.527863°WCoordinates: 33°10′29″N 110°31′40″W / 33.174687°N 110.527863°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1924 |
| Opening date | 1930 |
| Construction cost | US$10 million |
| Owner(s) | Bureau of Indian Affairs |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Arch dam |
| Impounds | Gila River |
| Height | 249 ft |
| Elevation at crest | 2535 ft |
| Width (crest) | 580 ft |
| Dam volume | 200,000 cuyd |
| Spillways | 2 |
| Spillway type | Ogee |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | San Carlos Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 910,000 acre·ft (1.12×109 m3) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 1935 |
| Decommission date | 1983 |
| Type | Conventional |
| Turbines | 2 x 5 MW |
| Installed capacity | 10 MW |
|
Coolidge Dam
|
|
 
|
|
| Nearest city | San Carlos, Arizona |
| Area | 21 acres (8.5 ha) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architectural style | Other, Multiple Dome Dam |
| NRHP Reference # | 81000135 |
| Added to NRHP | October 29, 1981 |
The Coolidge Dam is a reinforced concrete multiple dome and buttress dam 31 miles (50 km) southeast of Globe, Arizona on the Gila River. Built between 1924 and 1928, the Coolidge Dam was part of the San Carlos Irrigation Project. Coolidge Dam was named after the 30th US President, Calvin Coolidge and was dedicated by President Coolidge on March 4, 1930. The design and construction engineer was Herman Neuffer, who oversaw much of the construction undertaken by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) during the 1920s in Arizona and New Mexico.
Coolidge Dam impounds San Carlos Lake in the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. The project irrigates 100,000 acres (40,000 ha).
Since the water is impounded so it can be released when farmers need it, San Carlos Lake is often at a low level except in wet periods. When former President Coolidge dedicated the dam in 1930, the dam had not begun to fill. Humorist Will Rogers looked at the grass in the lake bed, and said, "If this were my dam, I’d mow it."
Coolidge Dam was constructed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which also owns and operates it, at a cost of US$10 million. It was built between 1924 and 1928. The overall structure used 200,000 cubic yards (150,000 m3) of concrete and consists of three domes, which are supported by massive buttresses on 100-foot (30 m) centers. It rises 249 feet (76 m), with a crest length of 580 feet (180 m). Two uncontrolled ogee crest spillways are concrete lined and located on each abutment.
Construction of the dam incurred opposition from the Apache tribe, who feared a violation of their treaty rights, according to an author writing for the Federal Writers' Project:
...
Wikipedia