SACRAMENTO, California – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District awarded a $5.7 million contract Dec. 23 to Spectrum-Straub JV of Sacramento to construct a temporary boat launch and parking at French Gulch Recreation Area as part of the Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project.
As part of the dam remediation, recreation that will be impacted will be relocated. The boat launch facility at French Gulch will replace Boat Launch 19, which will have to be closed during the project’s second phase.
Construction is expected to begin in early spring 2017 to take advantage of seasonally low water levels.
Completed in 1953, Isabella Lake Dam is located approximately 42 miles northeast of Bakersfield. The reservoir is impounded by two earthen dams on the Kern River and Hot Springs Valley. Today, Isabella Lake and its dams reduce flood risk for Bakersfield and the surrounding region, and is a primary water source for water users throughout Kern County. The Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project will address over-topping, seismic and seepage issues identified with Isabella Lake’s main and auxiliary dams to reduce the likelihood of dam failure. Construction of the dam modifications is scheduled to begin in 2017.
Release no. 16-052