Kerckhoff Dam

Kerckhoff Dam is a concrete arch dam on the San Joaquin River in Fresno County, California, about 10 mi southwest of Big Creek. The 114 ft tall dam is a run-of-the-river facility impounding 4252 acre feet of water and is the primary feature of Pacific Gas and Electric's Kerckhoff hydroelectric project. The dam and its 160 acre reservoir provide water for the Kerckhoff Powerhouses No. 1 and No. 2. Powerhouse No. 1 has three Francis turbines producing a maximum of 38 megawatts (MW) and Powerhouse No. 2 has a single Francis turbine rated at 155 MW for a total project capacity of 193 MW. An annual 579.1 million KWh of electricity are generated here.

Completed in 1920, the dam and Powerhouse No. 1 were the first to utilize the San Joaquin River for hydroelectricity. The second powerhouse was added in 1983.

The dam, named for William George Kerckhoff, was part of the "Big Creek Hydroelectric Project", the largest construction project in the world in 1910.