Redinger Dam

Redinger Dam
CountryUnited States
LocationFresno County, California
Coordinates37°08′42″N 119°27′05″W / 37.14508°N 119.45130°W / 37.14508; -119.45130
StatusOperational
Opening date1951; 73 years ago (1951)
Owner(s)Southern California Edison
Dam and spillways
Height (foundation)250 feet (76 m)
Length875 feet (267 m)
Reservoir
Total capacity35,000 acre⋅ft (43,000 dam3)
Surface area465 acres (188 ha)
Redinger Lake and the upper San Joaquin basin, in the context of the proposed Temperance Flat Dam

Redinger Dam (National ID # CA00440; also known as Big Creek Dam Number 7) is a dam in Fresno County, California.

The concrete gravity dam was completed in 1951 as one component of Southern California Edison's Big Creek Hydroelectric Project, a system of 25 dams, nine power plants and supporting tunnels and diversion channels in the upper basin of the San Joaquin River, one of the most extensive hydroelectric systems in the world.[1]

Redinger Dam stands 250 feet (76 m) tall, with a length of 875 feet (267 m) at its crest.[2]

The reservoir it creates, Redinger Lake, has a normal water surface of 465 acres (188 ha) and a maximum capacity of 35,000 acre-feet (43,000,000 m3).[2][3] Recreation includes fishing (for German brown and eastern brook trout, small mouth bass, bluegill, or catfish), camping, and hiking.[4] The dam and lake were named after David H. Redinger in a ceremony that occurred on October 24, 1955. Redinger served as superintendent of Edison's Big Creek Hydroelectric Project from its inception until his retirement in 1947.[5]

  1. ^ Wolcott, Barbara. "The Big Creek Hydroelectric Project". Mechanical Engineering Online. Revive the San Joaquin. Archived from the original on 2011-02-08. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  2. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Redinger Lake". Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  4. ^ "Sierra National Forest - Recreation". Fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  5. ^ "Edison Company Superintendent is Honored Guest". Madera Tribune. Vol. 64, no. 140. Big Creek. October 25, 1955. Retrieved March 23, 2021.