Shasta Dam, located on the Sacramento River 9 miles (14 kilometers) northwest of Redding, Calif., is one of the highest concrete dams in the United States. It is a feature of the Central Valley Project in California. Its spillway drops 480 feet (146 meters), making it the highest overflow dam in the world. The reservoir created by Shasta Dam provides irrigation water and electric power. The dam is 602 feet (183 meters) high, 3,460 feet (1,055 meters) long, and contains about 61/4 million cubic yards (43/4 million cubic meters) of concrete and about 21/4 million cubic yards (13/4 million cubic meters) of earth. The reservoir extends 35 miles (56 kilometers) from the dam up the Sacramento, Pit, and McCloud rivers. It holds about 4 million acre-feet (4.9 billion cubic meters) of water. The United States Bureau of Reclamation oversaw the dam’s construction, which was completed in 1945.
