Sawmill Dam and Lake (elevation 5,860 feet)

A serene lake surrounded by forested mountains, reflecting the clear blue sky and scattered clouds, with a canoe on the shore.

Sawmill is an instream dam and lake on Canyon Creek in the South Yuba watershed. Nearby towns are Graniteville (7.40 miles) and Sierra City (8.53 miles).

The dam was constructed in 1910. Standing at 50 feet high and 384 feet in length, it is a stacked rock dam with a reservoir capacity of 3,030 acre-feet. The typical low level is 1,600 acre-feet.

With 79.4 acres of surface area, Sawmill is the last impoundment of Canyon Creek before reaching Bowman Lake.

NID holds pre-1914 water rights for storage of 2,760 acre-feet. The District maintains a required environmental flow to Canyon Creek currently at 2.5 cubic feet per second (CFS). There is no onsite power generation.

Recreation: Sawmill has dispersed camping and draws about 5,000 visitors annually.

An aerial view of Sawmill Dam, showing its height (60 ft), crest elevation (5,865 ft), and ungated spillway, near Canyon Creek.

 

The image is a map of the Mountain Division South Yuba Upper area, highlighting bodies of water and topographical features.
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