Little Grass Valley Reservoir

This article is about the lake. For the census-designated place, see Little Grass Valley, California.

Little Grass Valley Reservoir is an artificial lake in Plumas County, California and Plumas National Forest near the Pacific Crest Trail.

Little Grass Valley Reservoir
The reservoir in 2004, viewed from Bald Mountain.
Little Grass Valley Reservoir
Location	Plumas County, California[1]
Coordinates	39°43′45″N 120°59′25″W[1]
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	South Fork Feather River, Black Rock Creek, Ice Creek, Pancake Ravine, Kenzie Ravine
Primary outflows	South Fork Feather River[2]
Catchment area	25.9 square miles (67 km2)[2]
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	2 miles (3.2 km)
Max. width	1 mile (1.6 km)
Surface area	1,433 acres (580 ha)[2]
Average depth	65 feet (20 m)
Water volume	93,010 acre-feet (114,730,000 m3)[2]
Shore length1	14.5 miles (23.3 km)[3]
Surface elevation	5,036 feet (1,535 m)[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The lake's waters are impounded by Little Grass Valley Dam (National ID CA00269), which was completed in 1961 (64 years ago) (1961).^[2]

Hydrology

The lake discharges into the South Fork Feather River.^[2]

Little Grass Valley Dam

Little Grass Valley Dam
Country	United States
Location	Plumas County, California
Coordinates	39°43′18″N 121°01′22″W
Opening date	1961
Owner(s)	South Feather Water and Power Agency
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Rockfill
Impounds	South Fork Feather River[2]
Height	210 feet (64 m)[2]
Length	840 feet (260 m)[2]
Elevation at crest	5,052 feet (1,540 m)[2]
Width (crest)	30 feet (9.1 m)[2]
Dam volume	834,000 cubic yards (638,000 m3)[2]
Reservoir
Creates	Little Grass Valley Reservoir
Total capacity	93,010 acre-feet (114,730,000 m3)[2]
Catchment area	25.9 square miles (67 km2)[2]
Maximum length	2 miles (3.2 km)
Maximum width	1 mile (1.6 km)

Little Grass Valley Dam is a rock-fill dam 840 feet (260 m) long and 210 feet (64 m) high, with 18 feet (5.5 m) of freeboard. The South Feather Water and Power Agency owns the dam.^[2]

Lake

Recreation

Located in Plumas National Forest near the Pacific Crest Trail, Little Grass Valley Reservoir is the centerpiece of the Little Grass Valley Recreation Area, managed by the Feather River Ranger District. The area supports boating, camping, fishing, swimming, picnicking, horseback riding, mountain biking, wildlife viewing, and hiking.^[4]

Access

By car, the lake is about ninety minutes from Yuba City.^[5] The Pacific Crest Trail passes north of the lake and can be reached by way of the Bald Mountain Trail from Horse Camp.^[3]

See also

• List of dams and reservoirs in California
• List of lakes in California
• Grass valley
• Grass Valley, California