The Glory Hole
compiled by  Fish Chris,
information, specifications, and
construction photos provided by:
The U.S Bureau of Reclamation



     Ever since I was a small child, I can remember being amazed and bewildered by the  sight  of the Glory Hole, especially when it was flowing. It was spooky to be close to it, but I would get as close as I could anyway, just to prove my bravery.
   Now that I'm grown, the sight of this engineering masterpiece, still leaves me awestruck.  Each year, I track the rise of the water level, as it gets closer and closer to the edge, which is of course, the point of no return.
         photos by Fish Chris





    Here she is, early one morning in April, faithfully performing the job for which she was built.

   First, a little information on the Monticello dam and Lake Berryessa, Ca. The construction of the dam started in 1953, and it was completed in 1957. The height of the dam is 304 feet, and its length at the top is 1,023 feet. It's  volume is 326,000 cubic yards.
             About half way there.
    Just about finished


   Photos taken around 1956 and 1957,
 and provided courtesy of  the
 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

    The Monticello dam creates beautiful Lk. Berryessa, which is located about 60 miles north of San Francisco. The lake covers  20,700 acres, and has 165 miles of shoreline. When full, its capacity is 1,600,000 acre feet. ( And it just might hold the biggest bass in Northern Ca.! )


   This is a picture that I took of the back side of the dam, from about 1000 feet away. If you
look really close, you can barely see the top of the Glory hole, on the far right, between
the floating barriers and the shoreline. It is only about one foot above the water.
  The Glory hole is a non- regulated spillway, which is located about 200 feet behind the dam. The outside diameter of the Glory hole is 72 feet. The hole in the center tapers down to no less than 28 feet. The distance from the crest (top edge), to the exit point which is situated in the south side of the canyon, is about 700 feet. The crest of the Glory hole, sits 16 feet lower than the crest of the dam. When and if the water level of the lake rises to 15 1/2 feet over the top of the Glory hole (its maximum design), it will release 48,400 cubic feet per second, or in layman's terms,   362,000 gallons every
1 second !
   Here is a shot of the giant funnel, in mid construction.



   All construction photos provided by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

    This is where the Glory hole exits from the side of the canyon, below the dam. It was lined with concrete after this photo. I love this truck. Photo taken around 1956.



 Clean as a whistle, and ready for business !

  Thanks again to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, for which without their help, this article would not have been possible.                                                                                                                                                       
Fish Chris