The Lower Bear River Reservoir is part of the Mokelumne Power project of PGE, formerly Pacific Gas and Electric.
It all started on the Bear River with the construction of the Bear River Reservoir, which we now refer to as Upper Bear Reservoir, around 1900. This was in part to control the runoff of the Bear River to feed the Mokelumne River, and the beginning of the Mokelumne Power project.
Salt Springs Dam and Powerhouse was constructed on the Mokelumne River between 1926 and 1931. The construction was done during the Great Depression and employed up to 1,700 men. The output of the Salt Springs power generation water is then diverted to a flume which carries the water to the next generating plant at the West Point Powerhouse at Tiger Creek. Then later through a 17 mile tunnel to Lake Tabeaud. Finally it flows down to the Electra Powerhouse, built back in 1902.
Lastly the Lower Bear River Reservoir was built beginning in 1949 and finished in 1952. This lake is connected through a tunnel across the south ridge to a penstock which flows to the Salt Springs Powerhouse.
Construction of Lower Bear River Dam
There are very few records of the construction of Lower Bear but we do have few photos showing construction of the dam.
Above is the massive 10 yard shovel at the quarry at the north end of the dam, and a view of some of the half dozen cranes used to position the rock on the dam.
Below is the lake drain point which crosses under the dam through solid rock. The dam face is coated with impacted concrete and then smoothed and sealed. The last view is looking north, showing the lake bottom cleared of trees.
