Shasta Dam, just outside Redding, is an awesome structure! It’s the second largest dam in the country. I even got to go to some places that aren’t on the free tour, including the catwalk that hangs over the 400-foot spillway. For someone afraid of heights, like me, it was quite an experience.

This massive marvel of concrete has three major purposes: flood control, to provide hydroelectric power and to quench the thirst of thousands of California crops.

Here are some impressive statistics about Shasta Dam.

1. The dam is 602 feet high.
2. The dam is 883 feet thick at the bottom.
3. The face of the dam covers 32 acres, equal to 6 football fields.
4. The spillway is the largest manmade waterfall in the world.

More than 6,000 men and women built Shasta Dam from 1938 to 1945, making it one of the largest construction projects at that time, and an engineering wonder.

Today, 100,000 people a year visit Shasta Dam, walking through its three miles of tunnels. The tunnels allow workers to monitor the dam, which holds enough water behind it to cover the entire state of Connecticut.

A tour of Shasta Dam is well worth it. Be prepared to go through a security check. Since it’s a federal facility, it is vulnerable to terrorism.

Shasta Dam is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. For more information, call (530) 275-1554.

If you have comments or questions about this story, please E-mail Producer/Reporter Pat McConahay at pmcconah@kvie.org.