Return to the Images of the California Environment page. Click on an image to see a larger version. These huge pumps lift the California Aqueduct over the Tehachapi Mountains. This dam blocks the Tuolumne River and floods Hetch Hetchy Valley.
Dams producing electricity create extreme fluctuations in river levels downstream.
The pelton wheel, a critical piece of technology for harnessing water power, was invented during the California Gold Rush. Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River was one of the first major undertakings of the Central Valley Project. The most massive dam in the world when built, Grand Coulee impounds and diverts the Columbia River in dry eastern Washington. These reservoirs on the Skagit River generate electricity for cities in the Seattle area. This lake stores water from the White River for power generation, but in the winter when the river is frozen the lake is emptied.