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Crystal Springs Dam

Coordinates: 37°31′43″N 122°21′44″W / 37.5285°N 122.3622°W / 37.5285; -122.3622
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For the dam in Arkansas, see Crystal Campground.
Crystal Springs Dam
Official nameLower Crystal Springs Dam
LocationSan Mateo County, California
Coordinates37°31′43″N 122°21′44″W / 37.5285°N 122.3622°W / 37.5285; -122.3622
Opening date1888; 136 years ago (1888)
Operator(s)San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsSan Mateo Creek
Height140 ft (43 m)
Length600 ft (180 m)
Width (base)40 ft (12 m)
Reservoir
CreatesLower Crystal Springs Reservoir
Total capacity57,910 acre⋅ft (71,430,000 m3)
Catchment area29.4 sq mi (76 km2)
Surface area1,323 acres (5.35 km2)

Crystal Springs Dam is a gravity dam constructed across the San Mateo Creek in San Mateo County, California. It impounds water to form the Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir which sits atop the San Andreas Fault in a rift valley created by the fault. The dam itself is located about 300 yards (273 meters) east of the fault.[1][2] It was among the first concrete gravity dams built in the western United States.[3] Skyline Boulevard runs over the dam, which also forms the trailhead of Sawyer Camp Trail.

History

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Spring Valley Water Works, the private utilities corporation that eventually developed the Crystal Springs Dam, was formed in 1858 to provide the rapidly expanding port city of San Francisco with a reliable water source. Under the leadership of George Ensign, a prominent land baron, it quickly established a monopoly on the San Francisco water market.[4] Quickly understanding that any potential water source would have to come outside of the naturally barren city limits, Ensign turned towards adjacent San Mateo County, along with its largely undeveloped mountains and streams. Over the next three decades, Spring Valley Water Works constructed a variety of conduits, dams, and tunnels to connect the San Andreas Valley watershed to San Francisco. Despite this, there was still a desire for a larger reservoir to ensure that San Francisco had a more reliable long-term water source.[5]

Hermann Schussler, a German immigrant who moved to California in 1864 as a prospective civil engineer, quickly rose the ranks to become Chief Engineer of the Spring Valley Water Company. Cognizant of the growing desire for a reservoir, Schussler encouraged the company to acquire as much watershed property as possible. By the time that Schussler began considering the development of a dam to impound the San Mateo Creek, the Company had already acquired over 100,000 acres (400 km2) of prime property across the San Francisco Peninsula. [5]

The location of the proposed dam site had its benefits and downfalls: located in a 700 feet (210 m) valley formed by San Mateo Creek, sandstone cliff walls rose over 200 feet (61 m) from the creekbed. The dam encloses a larger valley that spreads outwards both east and west of the dam itself. Schussler's initial design created a lake approximately 9 miles (14 km) long.[6] Geological testing was conducted using boring techniques, which disclosed that the valley was favorable towards the dam's construction: the foundation was hard blue sandstone that contained no cracks nor fissures.

Schussler's designs called for a projected height of 140 feet (43 m). At the time there were only 17 constructed dams in the world taller than 95 feet (29 m), and all were located outside the United States. A majority of these dams were either rock-filled or earth-filled dams. This approach, however, could not work for Schussler's design, as there were no suitable quarries to procure materials from.[5] However, during the search a large outcrop of indurated sandstone was located, especially conductive for concrete. As such, Schussler switched to a design using mass concrete blocks.[7]

At the time, the United States had no large-scale manufacturer of cement, leading to the Portland cement being transported via ship from Swanscombe,England,[5] which at the time was the biggest Portland cement manufacturing plant in the United Kingdom.[8] The dam was constructed by separately pouring large blocks of the structure in place, and allowing them to set before pouring the adjoining blocks. This enabled the bricks to set and harden individually, while also ensuring that the concrete would not crack during the curing process. An important design feature is that neither the horizontal nor the vertical joints line up. This helps the structure act as a single monolithic construction despite being made of thousands of individual blocks, while also enhancing its structural stability.[6]

Schussler ensured that each block of the dam was poured with concrete made to the exact proportions of his mix specifications.

The structure was completed in 1888 at a height of 120 feet (37 m).[5] However, a wet winter in 1889-1890 caused the dam to overflow, leading to an addition to bring the total height of the dam to 145 feet (44 m), making it the tallest dam in the United States at the time.[6] At the time of its completion, with 4,239,000 cubic feet (120,000 m3) of concrete,[5] it was the largest concrete structure in the world.[9]

In 1976, the dam was designated as a California Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).[10][11] The dam was later designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE in 2023.[12]

Crystal Springs Dam overflowing, in February 1911

The dam survived both the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake with only minor damage – despite its location about 300 yards (270 m) east of the San Andreas Fault. It was subject to severe shaking in both earthquakes.[3]

Repairs

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The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission began the process of renovating the dam in 2003. A major step in the renovation process, doubling the width of the main spillway and raising the dam to increase the water storage capacity, was completed in 2012. The renovations, which are intended to improve the reliability of the system in the event of an earthquake, were completed in 2016. Skyline Boulevard, the road on top of the dam, was closed for the construction of a new replacement bridge in October 2010. Along with the replacement bridge, the parapet wall was raised by nine feet, the dam's spillway was widened, and power lines were relocated to the underside of the bridge. Construction completed in late 2018 and the roadway was reopened in January 2019.[13][14]

  • Crystal Springs Dam from downstream
    Crystal Springs Dam from downstream
  • Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir
    Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir
  • Aerial view of the Crystal Springs Reservoir from the southeast
    Aerial view of the Crystal Springs Reservoir from the southeast
  • View from under the California State Route 35 roadway that was added atop the dam
    View from under the California State Route 35 roadway that was added atop the dam

See also

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References

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  • Department of Water Resources (2009). "Station Meta Data: Lower Crystal Springs Dam (CRY)". California Data Exchange Center. State of California. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  • "Crystal Spring Dam". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 19 Jan 1981. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  • U.S. Geological Survey (24 November 2003). "Crystal Springs Reservoir". U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  • Ron Horii (1 October 2003). "Bay Area Biking: Crystal Springs Trails". Bay Area Back Page. Archived from the original on 12 October 2000. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  1. ^ San Andreas Bay Area Faults
  2. ^ San Mateo Ezrim
  3. ^ a b Advanced Dam Engineering for Design, Construction, and Rehabilitation, by Robert B. Jansen, page 117
  4. ^ "Spring Valley Water Company - FoundSF". www.foundsf.org. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Magura, Lawrence M. (2024-03-01). "A Concrete Dam for the Ages". Civil Engineering Magazine Archive. 94 (2): 32–37. doi:10.1061/ciegag.0001712.
  6. ^ a b c "Scientific American Volume 79, Issue 25". Scientific American. 1898-12-17. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  7. ^ Schussler, Hermann (1909). The Water Supply of San Francisco. Journal of Electricity, Power and Gas.
  8. ^ "Cement Kilns: John Bazley White & Brothers". www.cementkilns.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  9. ^ "Peninsula's Bridge Open May 28". San Francisco Examiner. May 11, 1969. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  10. ^ "State Pays Tribute to San Mateo's Dam". San Mateo Times. 21 May 1976.
  11. ^ Bohan, Suzanne (14 April 2006). "Water System Vulnerable Then And Now". East Bay Times. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  12. ^ Lopez, Sierra (7 December 2023). "San Mateo County's Crystal Springs Dam receives National Historic Engineering Landmark status". San Mateo Daily Journal. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  13. ^ County of San Mateo Public Works. "Crystal Springs Dam Bridge Replacement Project - Traffic Advisory". Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  14. ^ Bay City News (14 January 2019). "Roadway atop Crystal Springs Dam reopens after 8-year project". San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.

Further reading

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  • Postel, Mitchell (1994). San Mateo: A Centennial History. San Francisco: Scottwall Associates, Publishers. ISBN 0-942087-08-9.
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