Folsom Dam F.A.Q.s

Folsom Dam

• The dam is 340 feet high and 1,400 feet long.
• There is enough concrete in the dam to...
• build a highway (8 inches thick by 16 feet wide) from the Oregon Border to Bakersfield, California;
• or a sidewalk (4 inches thick by 3 feet wide) from San Francisco to New York.
• The dam weighs 2,343,000 tons but it is 40% hollow inside.

Folsom Lake

• The lake (when full) holds 1,010,000 acre-feet of water and 75 miles of shoreline, or enough water to cover the State of Rhode Island with 1 1/2-foot of water.

Water Pressure

• Water pressure is 14,976 pounds per square foot at the base. That's equivalent to one person standing on a square foot tile, bearing 100 people on his/her shoulders.

Flood Control

• During a normal run-off from the mountain range, 2.7 million acre-feet of water comes into the lake. Since the lake can only hold 1,010,000 acre-feet, 1.7 million acre-feet are released for flood control.
• Up to 1987, the flood prevention losses are estimated as saving over 4.8 billion dollars.

Folsom Powerplant

• The Powerplant has three generators providing 198,720 kilowatts of electrical power, which is enough electricity to light 2 million 100 watt bulbs per hour or 10% of our Sacramento areas needs.