Bowman Powerhouse

Bowman is an instream powerhouse on Canyon Creek within the South Yuba Watershed. It was constructed in 1985-86. 

Power is generated via flows from Bowman Lake, a man-made storage reservoir on Canyon Creek (formed by Bowman North and South dams). Bowman Penstock, a submerged, concrete encased, 60 inch-diameter penstock, diverts a maximum of 350 cubic feet a second (cfs) to Bowman Powerhouse.

A scenic view of a winding river surrounded by mountains and trees, with a small facility visible along the bank.

The powerhouse is an above-ground, indoor powerhouse constructed of reinforced concrete located near the base of Bowman North Dam, adjacent to Canyon Creek. The powerhouse consists of one horizontal Francis turbine with a nameplate rated capacity of 3.6 MW at a head of 135 feet and a flow of 313 cfs;

The hydro facillity also consits of Bowman Switchyard, located adjacent to Bowman Powerhouse; and Bowman Transmission Line, an above-ground, 9.0-mile-long, 60 kV transmission line that connects the Bowman Powerhouse Switchyard to PG&E’s Drum-Spaulding 60 kV line.

The image shows a water control structure with machinery, surrounded by rocks and greenery, likely part of a hydro or water management system.
A map showing the Mountain Division South Yuba Upper area, highlighting water bodies and power facilities near Bowman.
Join our mailing list