Morris Dam

Samuel B. Morris Dam
Morris Dam viewed from the unofficial overlook on State Route 39 (Spillway on left and dam on right)
CountryUnited States
LocationLos Angeles County, California
Coordinates34°10′29″N 117°52′52″W / 34.17472°N 117.88111°W / 34.17472; -117.88111
StatusOperational
Construction began1932; 92 years ago (1932)
Opening date1934; 90 years ago (1934)
Construction cost$25 million
Owner(s)Los Angeles County Flood Control District
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete gravity
ImpoundsSan Gabriel River
Height245 ft (75 m)[n 1]
Length750 ft (230 m)
Spillway typeGated concrete overflow
Spillway capacity80,000 cu ft/s (2,300 m3/s)
Reservoir
CreatesMorris Reservoir
Total capacity39,300 acre⋅ft (48,500,000 m3) (nominal)
27,800 acre⋅ft (34,300,000 m3) (current)
Surface area417 acres (169 ha)
Normal elevation1,152 ft (351 m)[n 2]
Power Station
Installed capacityN/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, directly downstream of San Gabriel Dam.

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.
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