Isabella Dam

Isabella Dam
Aerial view
LocationKern County, California
Coordinates35°38′46″N 118°28′56″W / 35.64611°N 118.48222°W / 35.64611; -118.48222
Construction began1948; 76 years ago (1948)
Opening date1953; 71 years ago (1953)
Operator(s) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsLower Kern River
Height185 ft (56 m)
Length1,695 ft (517 m)
SpillwaysUngated concrete overflow
Spillway capacity49,000 cu ft/s (1,400 m3/s)
Reservoir
CreatesLake Isabella
Total capacity568,000 acre⋅ft (0.701 km3)
Catchment area2,074 sq mi (5,370 km2)
Surface area11,000 acres (4,500 ha)
Power Station
Installed capacity12 MW
Annual generation22,610,000 KWh (2001–2012)[1]

Isabella Dam is an embankment dam located in the Kern River Valley, about halfway down the Kern River course, between the towns of Kernville and Lake Isabella in Kern County, California.

Isabella Dam serves agricultural, hydroelectric, and flood control uses.[2] Lake Isabella (the reservoir created by the dam) also serves as a recreational and tourist attraction. Water sports, fishing, boating, camping, and hiking are common throughout the area, as well as the Sequoia National Forest.

  1. ^ "California Hydroelectric Statistics & Data". California Energy Commission. Archived from the original on 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  2. ^ Lakes Online – Lake Isabella Dam Information