A $1-billion upgrade to the B.F. Sisk Dam in California’s Central Valley was launched this month as part of an effort to reduce the impact of severe seismic events on the 55-year-old earthfill structure.
The 382-ft-high, 3.5-mile-long compacted earthfill embankment dam is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). The Safety of Dams Modification Project will require adding stability berms, increasing the height of the existing dam and other safety enhancing features.
