[EID]
Construction has continued on the Forebay project during the COVID-19 pandemic, although completion and inspection sign offs have been delayed.
The District has received some questions from our residents about the reservoir level and when it will be filled. The dam will be filled and operated at the new high water level after the California Department of Water Resources - Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) have completed their final inspections and certifications. We expect to receive those approvals later this year.
We have also been asked about fishing and when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will be restocking. District staff is coordinating with CDFW and hope that we will be able to restock before conditions become too hot. If conditions do not permit restocking, it will be rescheduled to later in the fall.
The reopening of the day-use facility and trails are on hold until the contractor demobilizes and we can ensure that pedestrian-only access areas are blocked to any vehicles. Work needs to be completed by construction crews before they can remove the temporary fencing.
The trail between the main day-use area and the fishing access day-use area has been realigned and park benches have been relocated to positions that will be close to the shoreline at the new high water level. The restrooms and parking area in the main day-use area have also been updated to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for accessibility.
The District is looking forward to reopening Forebay for day-use as we know this an asset to our local community, not only for drinking water and hydropower generation, but for recreation. This project began as a mandated regulatory requirement to bring the 1923-era dam up to modern safety standards. In addition, the project improves the availability and reliability of water supply from Forebay, increasing from a half day emergency water supply to six days.
To read past updates, please visit the Forebay Updates and Documents webpage. We also have a photo album that includes historical photos from when the dam was first build in the 1920s.
For project and construction related questions you may contact us as listed below.
E-mail: ForebayProject@eid.org
Phone: (530) 622-4513 Ask for a Forebay Project representative
