Morris Dam
| Samuel B. Morris Dam | |
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Morris Dam viewed from the unofficial overlook on State Route 39
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| Country | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles County, California |
| Coordinates | 34°10′29″N 117°52′52″W / 34.17472°N 117.88111°WCoordinates: 34°10′29″N 117°52′52″W / 34.17472°N 117.88111°W |
| Construction began | 1932 |
| Opening date | 1934 |
| Owner(s) | Los Angeles County Flood Control District |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete gravity |
| Impounds | San Gabriel River |
| Height | 245 ft (75 m) |
| Length | 750 ft (230 m) |
| Spillway type | Gated concrete overflow |
| Spillway capacity | 80,000 cu ft/s (2,300 m3/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Morris Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 39,300 acre·ft (48,500,000 m3) (nominal) 27,800 acre·ft (34,300,000 m3) (current) |
| Surface area | 417 acres (169 ha) |
| Normal elevation | 1,152 ft (351 m) |
| Power station | |
| Installed capacity | N/A |
Morris Dam (officially the Samuel B. Morris Dam) is a concrete gravity dam across the San Gabriel River in the U.S. state of California. It impounds Morris Reservoir.
The dam was built in the 1930s as a water supply facility for the city of Pasadena, but is now mostly utilized for flood control and flow regulation for groundwater recharge. Situated in northern Los Angeles County, the dam impounds the 417-acre (169 ha) Morris Reservoir in the Angeles National Forest, a few miles northeast of Azusa. From the 1940s to the 1990s, the reservoir was also used for underwater missile testing by the United States military.
This dam sits south of Silver Mountain and north of Glendora Ridge, which flank the 1,500-foot (460 m) deep San Gabriel Canyon. It is roughly 37 miles (60 km) upstream of the San Gabriel River's mouth at the Pacific Ocean, and 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream of the river's beginning at the confluence of its East and West Forks.Morris Reservoir is about 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1,152 feet (351 m) above sea level at maximum pool, covering 417 acres (169 ha). The dam's crest itself is at an elevation of 1,161 feet (354 m).
Serving mainly flood control, flow regulation and groundwater recharge purposes, the slightly arched Art Deco-style gravity dam is 245 feet (75 m) high and 750 feet (230 m) long. Its spillway, located slightly north of the main structure, is a concrete-lined chute controlled by three steel drum gates. The reservoir created by the dam, when first put into use, was capable of storing 39,300 acre feet (48,500,000 m3). Due to sedimentation though since that time, its capacity has been reduced by about 29%. At present, the reservoir when filled holds approximately 27,800 acre feet (34,300,000 m3).
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