Englebright Lake is an 815 acre

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

on the

Yuba River The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sierra Nevada and eastern Sacramento Valley, in the U.S. state of California. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into three major forks. The Yuba River ...

, impounded by

Englebright Dam Englebright Dam is a high variable radius concrete arch dam on the Yuba River in the Sacramento River Basin, located in Yuba and Nevada counties of California, United States. It was put into service in 1941 by the United States Army Corps of En ...

, in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

, United States. The reservoir stores 45,000 acre feet of water with nearly 24 miles of shoreline. It is located in

Yuba County Yuba County (; Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 81,575. The county seat is Marysville. Yuba County is included in the Yuba City, California Metropolitan Statistical A ...

and Nevada County. The boat launch and marina, named Skippers Cove, are located in Smartsville. It is located in between

Grass Valley A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...

and Marysville. The reservoir, as well as the dam, were named for former U.S. Representative

Harry L. Englebright Harry Lane Englebright (January 2, 1884 – May 13, 1943) was a U.S. political figure. He served as a Congressman from California's 2nd congressional district from 1926 to 1943, and as the House Minority Whip between 1933 and 1943. Englebright w ...

, who represented the district in which Englebright is located. The

California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, commonly referred to as OEHHA (pronounced oh-EEE-ha), is a specialized department within the cabinet-level California Environmental Protection Agency ( CalEPA) with responsibility for evaluatin ...

(OEHHA) has developed a safe eating advisory for the Englebright Lake based on levels of mercury found in fish caught here.

History

Englebright Lake was created in 1941, the year of completion of

. The reservoir is fed by the Yuba River. The upper reaches of the lake is home to the confluence of South Yuba River and the Yuba River. Upstream from Englebright is another reservoir: New Bullards Bar Reservoir. Several years after dam construction, two hydroelectric power plants were built downstream from the Englebright Dam that now supply power to 50,000 homes.

was constructed to store debris from upstream hydraulic mining operations. The dam is constructed from concrete and spans 1,142 feet across the river gorge and reaches 260 feet from the floor of the gorge. The dam the gorge is located in is very steep and is known as the "narrows" due to the topography of the river canyon. The dam was built, and is owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The USACE operates the boat launch nearest their lake headquarters right near the dam.

Uses

Fishing

Englebright Lake offers a great opportunity of fishing from the marina to the upper reaches of the lake. The lake contains populations of rainbow trout, brown trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass Kokanee salmon, catfish, and multiple species of sunfish creating abundant opportunities for recreational fishermen to be successful on the water. Due to the past mining operations upstream, the mercury content in certain fish is high. The

(OEHHA) has developed a safe eatin
advisory
for the Englebright Lake based on levels of mercury found in fish caught here. These levels can be found on the OEHHA website as well as the freshwater fishing regulations brochure put out by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Through programs meant to increase fishing opportunities and fish numbers, Lake Englebright participates in a trout breeding program that utilizes pens that are then released into the lake to bolster the fishing opportunities.

Boating

Englebright Lake has two boat launches, a marina with multiple docks for houseboats, and 9 miles of lake for boating access. The lake attracts recreational boaters who come for day use, boat in camping, or to spend time on personal houseboats that are docked on the lake. Skippers Cove Marina offers rentals of houseboats, fishing boats, party boats, and ski boats allowing even those who do not own a vessel to boat on the waters of Englebright Lake.

Camping

Englebright Lake offers boat in campsites and day use and picnic areas. The campsites can only be accessed by boat and are available on a first come first serve basis. All campsites include restrooms, a fire grill, lantern hanger, and a level foundation for a tent. Camping can also be done on the lake through the use of houseboats, which can be personally owned and stored in the marina or rented from the marina.

Water Use

The 45,000 acre feet stored behind

has multiple uses outside of recreation. The water stored is used to generate hydroelectric power that powers 50,000 homes, water is diverted for agricultural uses, and cold water releases allow the conservation of the salmonid fisheries down on the lower Yuba River.

References

External links

USACE Englebright Lake
* {{Central Valley Rivers, state=collapsed Reservoirs in Nevada County, California Reservoirs in Yuba County, California Yuba River Lakes of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Reservoirs in Northern California