News Release Archive

Reclamation resumes Boca Dam construction on April 20

Media Contact: Mary Lee Knecht, 916-978-5100, mknecht@usbr.gov

For Release: April 17, 2020

Boca Dam construction; photo credit Donna Potter, Reclamation.TRUCKEE, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation will resume Boca Dam’s seismic safety modification project on April 20, 2020, following its seasonal closure in November 2019. The construction project, located six miles northeast of Truckee, corrects seismic risks and includes the addition of a stability berm, a 25-feet wider crest and a reinforced concrete road. The spillway was updated for seismic safety in October 2019. Project construction will continue until November 1, 2020. Social distancing guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other COVID-19 precautions will be followed during construction.

During the project, Stampede Meadows Road will remain open with traffic controls. However, the road over Boca Dam, Boca Lake Road, will be closed. An alternative route to the west side of the reservoir exists via Prosser Dam Road to Boca Road. Use caution when traveling in this area during construction.

Boca Reservoir will operate without construction interruptions during 2020.

The original construction of Boca Dam was completed in 1939; the dam is 116-feet high and 1,630 feet long. The dam creates Boca Reservoir with a capacity of about 40,000 acre-feet. The reservoir regulates the Little Truckee River and provides water for irrigation, recreation, fish and wildlife benefits, and municipal and industrial uses in Truckee Meadows. The dam is owned by Reclamation and operated by the Washoe County Water Conservation District.

More information can be found on the project website at www.usbr.gov/mp/sod/projects/boca.

Learn more about Reclamation’s Safety of Dams Program at www.usbr.gov/ssle/damsafety..

Contact the California-Great Basin Construction Office with any questions at 530-892-6262 (TTY 800-877-8339) or sha-wco-cfiles@usbr.gov.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.