QUINCY – PG&E will be making gate improvements on the Canyon Dam outlet tower on Lake Almanor starting in late September. When completed, the improved gate will provide smoother control of lake levels and flows into the North Fork of the Feather River.
The work will require closure of the Canyon Dam boat ramp September 24-26 while PG&E’s contractor launches and loads a construction barge to access the tower. The adjacent picnic area and restrooms will remain open.
PG&E will be making repairs to the Canyon Dam Outlet Tower this month.
PG&E is replacing a gate stem, which controls one of the three lower gates on the tower. The new gate stem will allow for more reliable and smoother operation of the existing gate, which will also include new guide rollers for both gate and stem.
While the Canyon Dam boat ramp is closed boaters may use the nearby Almanor boat ramp, located one mile east of Highway 89 on Almanor Drive West, approximately 6 miles north of Canyon Dam. There is no fee to use this boat ramp. PG&E selected weekday dates after Labor Day for the Canyon Dam boat ramp closure to minimize impacts on recreational use.
Work on the gate operating system is expected to take until late October or early November, at which time the Canyon Dam boat ramp will again close for a few days to unload and remove the barge. PG&E will announce these dates once plans have been finalized.
PG&E performed a similar gate stem replacement on a different tower gate in 2005. Plans to improve the operation of the third lower gate stem will be announced at a future date.