Flood Control Dams in California
California has 151 flood control dams, of which 127 carry a high hazard classification. The dam is designed to control downstream flooding by temporarily storing excess water during storms and releasing it at a controlled rate.
| # | Dam | County | Height (ft) | Hazard | Condition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oroville | Butte | 770 | High | Fair | 1968 |
| 2 | Seven Oaks | San Bernardino | 550 | High | Satisfactory | 1999 |
| 3 | Pine Flat Dam | Fresno | 440 | High | Not Available | 1954 |
| 4 | Pacoima | Los Angeles | 365 | High | Satisfactory | 1929 |
| 5 | Warm Springs Dam | Sonoma | 356 | High | Not Available | 1983 |
| 6 | Cogswell | Los Angeles | 266 | High | Satisfactory | 1935 |
| 7 | Twitchell Dam | Santa Barbara | 241 | High | Not Available | 1958 |
| 8 | Big Santa Anita | Los Angeles | 225 | High | Satisfactory | 1927 |
| 9 | Del Valle | Alameda | 222 | High | Fair | 1968 |
| 10 | Big Tujunga No. 1 | Los Angeles | 220 | High | Satisfactory | 1931 |
| 11 | Box Canyon | Siskiyou | 220 | High | Satisfactory | 1970 |
| 12 | Buchanan Dam | Madera | 219 | High | Not Available | 1975 |
| 13 | New Hogan Dam | Calaveras | 210 | High | Not Available | 1963 |
| 14 | San Antonio | Monterey | 202 | High | Fair | 1965 |
| 15 | Mojave River Dam - Saddle Dike 1 | San Bernardino | 200 | High | Not Available | 1971 |
| 16 | Isabella Dam | Kern | 185 | High | Not Available | 1953 |
| 17 | Hidden Dam | Madera | 184 | High | Not Available | 1975 |
| 18 | Coyote Valley Dam | Mendocino | 180 | High | Not Available | 1959 |
| 19 | Los Banos Creek Detention Dam | Merced | 167 | High | Not Available | 1965 |
| 20 | San Antonio Dam | San Bernardino | 160 | High | Not Available | 1956 |
| 21 | Keswick Dam | Shasta | 157 | High | Not Available | 1950 |
| 22 | Big Dalton | Los Angeles | 153 | High | Satisfactory | 1929 |
| 23 | Little Panoche Detention | Fresno | 151 | High | Not Available | 1966 |
| 24 | Sawpit | Los Angeles | 150 | High | Satisfactory | 1927 |
| 25 | Puddingstone | Los Angeles | 147 | High | Satisfactory | 1928 |
| 26 | San Dimas | Los Angeles | 131 | High | Satisfactory | 1922 |
| 27 | Fairmont | Los Angeles | 121 | High | Satisfactory | 1912 |
| 28 | Villa Park | Orange | 118 | High | Satisfactory | 1963 |
| 29 | Martis Creek Dam | Nevada | 113 | High | Not Available | 1972 |
| 30 | Devils Gate | Los Angeles | 108 | High | Satisfactory | 1920 |
| 31 | Ler Franklin | Los Angeles | 103 | High | Satisfactory | 1922 |
| 32 | Carbon Canyon Dam | Orange | 99 | High | Not Available | 1961 |
| 33 | Round Canyon Retarding Basin | Orange | 98 | Low | Satisfactory | 1994 |
| 34 | Hansen Dam | Los Angeles | 97 | High | Not Available | 1940 |
| 35 | Las Llajas | Ventura | 96 | High | Satisfactory | 1981 |
| 36 | Elmer J. Chesbro | Santa Clara | 95 | High | Satisfactory | 1955 |
| 37 | Matanzas Creek | Sonoma | 95 | High | Satisfactory | 1963 |
| 38 | Santa Fe Dam | Los Angeles | 92 | High | Not Available | 1949 |
| 39 | Bear Dam | Mariposa | 92 | High | Not Available | 1954 |
| 40 | Mariposa Dam | Mariposa | 88 | High | Not Available | 1948 |
| 41 | Dove Canyon | Orange | 88 | High | Poor | 1989 |
| 42 | Pine Creek | Contra Costa | 87 | High | Satisfactory | 1956 |
| 43 | Brea Dam - Saddle Dike 1 | Orange | 87 | High | Not Available | 1942 |
| 44 | Spencer Lake | San Mateo | 87 | High | Satisfactory | 1876 |
| 45 | Wide Canyon | Riverside | 84 | High | Satisfactory | 1968 |
| 46 | Live Oak | Los Angeles | 76 | High | Satisfactory | 1922 |
| 47 | Hland Creek | Lake | 75 | High | Satisfactory | 1962 |
| 48 | Owens Dam | Mariposa | 75 | High | Not Available | 1949 |
| 49 | Gasburg Creek Dike | Tuolumne | 75 | High | Satisfactory | 1971 |
| 50 | Ward Creek | Alameda | 71 | High | Satisfactory | 1963 |
| 51 | Lang Creek Detention Basin | Ventura | 67 | High | Satisfactory | 2004 |
| 52 | Dry Canyon | Los Angeles | 66 | High | Satisfactory | 1912 |
| 53 | Thompson Creek | Los Angeles | 66 | High | Satisfactory | 1928 |
| 54 | Alessandro | Riverside | 66 | High | Satisfactory | 1956 |
| 55 | San Lorenzo Creek | Alameda | 65 | High | Satisfactory | 1964 |
| 56 | Amargosa Creek | Los Angeles | 65 | High | Satisfactory | 1998 |
| 57 | Burns Dam | Merced | 65 | High | Not Available | 1950 |
| 58 | Harbor View | Orange | 65 | High | Satisfactory | 1964 |
| 59 | Sycamore | Riverside | 63 | High | Satisfactory | 1956 |
| 60 | Bee Canyon Retention Basin | Orange | 62 | Low | Satisfactory | 1994 |
| 61 | Sand Creek | Fresno | 60 | High | Satisfactory | 1980 |
| 62 | Eagle Canyon Debris Basin | Riverside | 60 | High | Satisfactory | 2015 |
| 63 | Marsh Creek | Contra Costa | 59 | High | Satisfactory | 1963 |
| 64 | Farmington Dam | San Joaquin | 58 | High | Not Available | 1951 |
| 65 | Antelope | Kern | 57 | High | Satisfactory | 1987 |
| 66 | Sepulveda Dam | Los Angeles | 57 | High | Not Available | 1941 |
| 67 | Melrose Avenue | San Diego | 57 | High | Satisfactory | 1998 |
| 68 | Whittier Narrows Dam | Los Angeles | 56 | High | Not Available | 1957 |
| 69 | Cull Creek | Alameda | 55 | High | Satisfactory | 1963 |
| 70 | Mcvicker Canyon Debris Basin | Riverside | 55 | High | Fair | |
| 71 | Ler Peters Canyon Retarding Basin | Orange | 52 | High | Satisfactory | 1990 |
| 72 | Etiwanda Debris Basin | San Bernardino | 51 | High | Satisfactory | 2008 |
| 73 | Big Dry Creek | Fresno | 50 | High | Satisfactory | 1948 |
| 74 | Harrison Street | Riverside | 50 | High | Satisfactory | 1954 |
| 75 | Cactus Basin #4 | San Bernardino | 50 | High | Satisfactory | 2022 |
| 76 | Box Springs | Riverside | 49 | High | Satisfactory | 1960 |
| 77 | Blackburn | Kern | 48 | High | Satisfactory | 1991 |
| 78 | Chester Diversion | Plumas | 47 | High | Satisfactory | 1975 |
| 79 | Fancher Creek | Fresno | 46 | High | Satisfactory | 1991 |
| 80 | Fullerton Dam | Orange | 46 | High | Not Available | 1941 |
| 81 | Mabey Canyon | Riverside | 46 | High | Satisfactory | 1974 |
| 82 | Yorba | Orange | 45 | High | Satisfactory | 1907 |
| 83 | Amethyst Basin | San Bernardino | 45 | High | Satisfactory | 2019 |
| 84 | Prenda | Riverside | 44 | High | Satisfactory | 1954 |
| 85 | Woodcrest | Riverside | 44 | High | Satisfactory | 1954 |
| 86 | Bear Gulch Dam | San Benito | 44 | High | Not Available | 1934 |
| 87 | Laguna Regulating Basin | Los Angeles | 43 | Significant | Satisfactory | 1970 |
| 88 | Vista Del Mar Detention Basin | Contra Costa | 42 | High | Satisfactory | 2011 |
| 89 | Channel Diversion Dike | Los Angeles | 42 | Low | Satisfactory | 1940 |
| 90 | Richard L. Schafer Dam - Frazier Dike | Tulare | 42 | Significant | Not Available | 1961 |
| 91 | Runkle | Ventura | 41 | High | Satisfactory | 1949 |
| 92 | Upper Sand Creek Detention Basin | Contra Costa | 40 | High | Satisfactory | 2014 |
| 93 | Upper Franklin Dam | Los Angeles | 40 | Significant | Not Available | 1915 |
| 94 | Castle | Merced | 40 | High | Satisfactory | 1991 |
| 95 | Mary Street | Riverside | 40 | High | Satisfactory | 1981 |
| 96 | Pigeon Pass | Riverside | 40 | High | Satisfactory | 1958 |
| 97 | Laurel Creek | San Mateo | 40 | High | Satisfactory | 1969 |
| 98 | Sycamore Canyon | Ventura | 40 | High | Satisfactory | 1981 |
| 99 | Eastfoot Retarding Basin | Orange | 39 | High | Satisfactory | 2007 |
| 100 | Folsom Dike 7 | Sacramento | 38 | High | Not Available | 1956 |