Courtright Reservoir | |
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![]() Aerial Photo of Courtright Reservoir [1] | |
Location | Fresno County, California |
Coordinates | 37°06′11″N118°58′26″W / 37.10297°N 118.97387°W |
Type | Reservoir |
Primary inflows | Helms Creek |
Primary outflows | Helms Creek |
Basin countries | United States |
Max. length | 3.36 mi (5.41 km) [2] |
Max. width | 5,234 ft (1,595 m) [2] |
Water volume | 123,300 acre-feet (152,100,000 m3) |
Surface elevation | 8,170 feet (2,490 m) |
Courtright Reservoir is a reservoir in Fresno County, California. The reservoir is at an elevation of 8,170 feet (2,490 m) in the Sierra National Forest, in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, bordering the John Muir Wilderness and the Dinkey Lakes Wilderness.
The high Sierra reservoir is formed by Courtright Dam in Helms Creek canyon and has a capacity of 123,300 acre-feet (152,100,000 m3). The dam is composed of rock-fill and is 315 feet (96 m) tall, measured from the crest to the original streambed. [3] It was completed in 1958 and is owned by Pacific Gas and Electric. In 1984 the Helms Pumped Storage Powerhouse was added to the reservoir allowing it to pump water from Wishon to Courtright. [4] Its primary purpose is hydroelectricity production.
The lake is an "off-river" (or "off-channel") storage reservoir. [5] In addition to the small amount of conventional hydroelectricity production from the flow of Helms Creek, Courtright Reservoir serves mainly as the upper reservoir for the Helms Pumped Storage Plant. Wishon Reservoir, an on-channel reservoir a couple of miles downstream on the Kings River, is the lower reservoir and main water source. During times of peak demand for electricity, when it is most expensive, water is drained from Courtright Reservoir, run through the 1,212 MW Helms Power Plant and empties into Wishon Reservoir. When demand and prices for electricity are low, water is pumped from Wishon Reservoir to Courtright Reservoir using the power plant's reversible turbines. Helms Power Plant is 1,000 feet (300 m) underground in a chamber carved out of solid granite at the north end of Wishon Lake. It is similar to Southern California Edison's Eastwood Powerhouse near Shaver Lake, which is also a pumped-storage plant.
Courtright Reservoir is a haven for weekend and outdoor enthusiasts seeking to camp, fish, hike, boat, swim, rock climb, and 4x4 among others. It is surrounded by unique domes of granite that are essentially in the center of the Sierra Batholith and are highly sought after by rock climbers from all around. It is also used during warmer-weather months by local astronomers, such as members of the Central Valley Astronomers, who take advantage of its 8,170 feet (2,490 m) elevation and excellent location for night sky viewing free from light and air pollution. [6]
As with many outdoor areas there are some animal transmittable diseases to be aware of. Ticks in the area have been known infect people with the bacterium that causes tick-borne relapsing fever. [7] The yellow-bellied marmot is known to carry cryptosporidium, which can be infectious to humans. [8] Additionally due to the elevation and the thinner atmosphere there has been slightly higher but not dangerous levels of radiation recorded here. [9]
The Kings River, historically called Wimmel-che by the Yokuts, is a 132.9-mile (213.9 km) river draining the Sierra Nevada mountain range in central California in the United States. Its headwaters originate along the Sierra Crest in and around Kings Canyon National Park and form the eponymous Kings Canyon, one of the deepest river gorges in North America. The river is impounded in Pine Flat Lake before flowing into the San Joaquin Valley southeast of Fresno. With its upper and middle course in Fresno County, the Kings River diverges into multiple branches in Kings County, with some water flowing south to the old Tulare Lake bed and the rest flowing north to the San Joaquin River. However, most of the water is consumed for irrigation well upstream of either point.
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The Helms Pumped Storage Plant is located 50 mi (80 km) east of Fresno, California in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range's Sierra National Forest. It is a power station that uses Helms Creek canyon on the North Fork of the Kings River for off-river water storage and the pumped-storage hydroelectric method to generate electricity. After being planned in the early 1970s, construction on the plant began in June 1977 and commercial operations began on 30 June 1984. It has an installed capacity of 1,212 MW and is owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
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