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Butte Creek Head Dam

Head Dam is the local name for the Butte Creek diversion dam, also called the Butte Creek Head dam in the federal licensing record. It is a 50-foot concrete arch dam on Butte Creek that belongs to PG&E's DeSabla-Centerville hydroelectric project. We found no official page that opens it to visitors for swimming or jumping. Checked October 29, 2026 in the federal licensing record and PG&E’s safety page.

Location not confirmed

PG&EOwner
Concrete arch damType
50 feetHeight
No. 803Federal project

Key Facts

  • The federal licensing record names the Butte Creek diversion dam, "also referred to as Butte Creek Head dam", as part of PG&E's DeSabla-Centerville Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No. 803.[1]
  • It describes the Butte Creek diversion dam as a 50-foot-high, 100-foot-long concrete arch dam with an overflow spillway.[1]
  • The record lists the dam together with PG&E's 11.4-mile Butte canal, which it says has earthen, gunited and tunnel sections, a siphon and flume sections.[1]
  • The record gives the Butte Creek drainage upstream of the dam as about 65 square miles.[1]
  • The record says fishing and hiking access exists along the Hendricks, Butte and Lower Centerville canals, but that these trails are meant to be used by PG&E for project maintenance.[1]
  • PG&E warns that hydro systems can release large amounts of rushing water at any time, sometimes without warning, and advises a Coast Guard-approved life jacket even when water is low.[2]

Plan Your Visit

WhatAs the operator states it
Run byPacific Gas and Electric Company (DeSabla-Centerville Project)
Drive from ChicoLocation not confirmed
SwimmingNo official page we read allows or invites swimming or jumping at the dam.[1]
Official pagePacific Gas and Electric Company (DeSabla-Centerville Project)

Not confirmedThe official pages we read do not publish hours, fees, dogs, restrooms, accessibility for this place.

What We Could Not Verify

These items were not on an official page we could open on October 29, 2026, or two official pages disagree. Check with the operator before you rely on them.

  • Not confirmedExact location, driving directions and whether the dam is in Paradise or Magalia (the federal record gives no street address or coordinates).
  • Not confirmedWhether the public may enter, swim or jump at the dam, and any posted rules or closures.
  • Not confirmedParking, fees, dogs and restrooms.
  • Not confirmedCondition of the dam and its canals after the 2018 Camp Fire; the licensing record we read is from 2009.

More in Paradise & The Ridge

All of Paradise & The RidgeParadise LakeButte Creek CanyonParadise Parks, Trailway and MuseumsGold Nugget MuseumHoney Run Covered BridgeThe FlumesAll Places

Coming Up in Paradise & The Ridge

Nothing on our calendar for Paradise & The Ridge from today on yet. We only list a date once we have read it on the organizer’s own page, so here is what comes next. See every upcoming event.

  • Country Pumpkins: October Farm Season

    Runs Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2026

    10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

    Country Pumpkins, Orland

    Price: Free admission; corn maze $5, haunted maze $15

    Open daily in October with pumpkins, a petting zoo, hay pyramid and slide, and a daytime corn maze (last entry 5:30 PM). The Haunted Maze runs 7 to 10 PM on select nights, last night Friday, October 30; the farm is closed Halloween.

    Checked Oct 30, 2026 · Source for Country Pumpkins: October Farm Season (opens in a new tab)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Head Dam?

It is the local name for the Butte Creek diversion dam, called the Butte Creek Head dam in the federal licensing record for PG&E's DeSabla-Centerville Hydroelectric Project.[1]

Can the public swim or hike at Head Dam?

We could not confirm that. The federal record says canal trails are meant for PG&E maintenance, and we found no PG&E page that opens the dam to visitors. Check with PG&E before you go.[1]

Is it safe to jump or swim below a dam?

PG&E says hydro systems can release large amounts of rushing water at any time, sometimes without warning, and advises a life jacket even when water is low.[2]

Sources

  1. DeSabla-Centerville Hydroelectric Project, FERC Final Environmental Assessment (Project No. 803, July 2009), FERC, posted by the California State Water Resources Control Board. Read October 29, 2026.
  2. Hydropower Safety, PG&E. Read October 29, 2026.

Cite this page: “Butte Creek Head Dam.” It’s Chico, checked October 29, 2026. https://itschico.com/paradise-ridge/butte-creek-head-dam/

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