Pacific Gas and Electric Company will perform maintenance on a water channel at the bottom of Canyon Dam this summer. While the work is underway, the Canyon Dam Day-Use Area will be closed, and PG&E’s contractor will use a pipe bypass system to pump water from Lake Almanor over the dam spillway and into the North Fork Feather River below.
The Canyon Dam Day-Use Area is along Highway 89, just east of the dam. This recreational area will be closed through August as contractors use the site for staging equipment, material deliveries and laydown.
Nearby public facilities will remain open, including Rocky Point Campground, the Lake Almanor Scenic Outlook rest stop and the Lassen National Forest’s Canyon Dam Boat Launch.
This project maintains the integrity of the downstream structure that channels the water as it comes out of the lower-level outlet at the base of Canyon Dam and flows into the river.
To do the required construction work, the area at the bottom of the dam must be dewatered. A temporary pipe bypass system will pump thirty-five cubic feet of water per second from Lake Almanor over the dam spillway to maintain downstream flow requirements on the river below the dam. Pumps will operate continuously from about mid-May to mid-August.
To expedite repairs, PG&E construction crews and contractors will be working on the LLO seven days per week.