In January 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District acquired the former Bank of America property at 6212 Lake Isabella Boulevard in Lake Isabella for relocation of the U.S. Forest Service visitor center after USFS selected the location as the preferred site for their new location following a rigorous USACE environmental study and planning process.

Earlier this year the Bank of America building was demolished by USACE contactors. Construction of the new USFS visitor center is expected to begin in early 2025 with completion in early 2026.

The former visitor center was displaced by construction of a new emergency spillway as part of the Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project and a temporary visitor center has been co-located with the USFS Lake Isabella fire station in the interim.

For more information, visit the Lake Isabella Visitor Center Webpage.

Construction of the new emergency spillway between the main and auxiliary dams will include a 28-foot-tall, roughly 1,300-foot-wide "Labyrinth Weir" at the top of the spillway. The zig-zag-patterned pseudo-dam is designed to help regulate water flow through the emergency spillway rather than to hold it back like the main and auxiliary dams are designed to do.

Check out this video of the model our team constructed at Utah State University's Water Research Laboratory in Logan, Utah, during the planning and design phase of the project. It allowed our engineers to review the final hydraulic design—including the Labyrinth Weir—before construction of the thing begins.

Given the multiple purposes of this dam facility and the long-term benefits it provides, we required thorough analysis of any modification to ensure public safety and benefits were not compromised by dam modifications.

Dam analysis and designs are complex technical efforts. Risk assessments must be performed to understand the extent of a problem and to evaluate options to fix the dams. In this case the dam had multiple deficiencies that required correction which increased the time required to understand and to start the fixes.

We also took great effort to comply with the National Environmental Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act which requires significant time to ensure that all requirements are met.

The project team has accomplished these, as well as other actions:

• Sealing the Borel conduit through the auxiliary dam.
• Raising the main and auxiliary dams 16 feet to minimize the risk of over-topping.
• Adding a filter and drain on the downstream slope of both dams to increase stability.
• Improving stability of the existing spillway.
• Creating an additional 300-foot-wide emergency spillway with a labyrinth weir.

Phase I construction was completed in Fall 2017. It included relocation of the USFS fire station in Lake Isabella and the USFS administrative building in Kernville, as well as construction of an interim boat launch at French Gulch to replace Boat Launch 19 until Phase II was complete, when Boat Launch 19 was reopened.

Phase II construction began in October 2018 and was substantially completed in 2022. Phase II included 16-foot raises to both the Main and Auxiliary Dams, along with improvements to both dams and the existing Service Spillway; and construction of a new 1,500-foot-long, 300-foot-wide, and 100-foot-deep Emergency Spillway where the former USFS fire station and USACE operations office once stood between the Main and Auxiliary Dams.

Phase III construction is currently underway. It includes the construction of a new USFS Visitor Center, as well as other facilities.

The workforce on this project will vary throughout the life of this project. Our prime contractor is responsible for hiring any work force needed to complete the job.

You can reach out to the contractor directly -

Flatiron/Dragados/Sukut Joint Venture
2959 Eva Ave
Lake Isabella, CA, 93240
833-640-1010

More information regarding project contracts can be found in the “Contract Opportunities” section below.

The Corps acquired the Borel easement from Southern California Edison in September 2018. The easement is that portion of the Borel Canal that runs immediately upstream, through (the conduit), and immediately downstream of the Auxiliary Dam. All other portions of the canal, upstream and downstream, are not on Corps property or our project area and, therefore, we have no authority to determine what is done with those portions of the canal.

The Corps has sealed the conduit through the Auxiliary Dam with concrete and filled those portions of the easement directly upstream of the dam with soil and rock. This work was completed in February 2019. As a result, the low-water restriction has been lifted and lake levels will be allowed to rise once again to restricted pool - 361,250 acre-feet - weather permitting.

Sealing the conduit has permanently cut off water supply to the Borel Hydroelectric Project. SCE will be responsible for determining any actions (including potential decommissioning) related to the canal and power station. SCE could also negotiate for another agency to take the lead in the decommissioning process.

Regardless of who takes that lead, other agencies would then partner together to ensure a smooth and appropriate process. For example, the California Public Utility Commission would be responsible for approving any change in power plant status to ensure local ratepayers and private landowners are not unfairly affected.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which permits hydropower production at Borel, would require that actions related to decommissioning be taken in a timely manner and that the canal not be left to create a safety hazard.

Finally, the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, who own much of the land underneath the canal, would provide input into the final state of the canal.

As you can see, between USACE, FERC, CPUC, USFS, and BLM, there are several federal and state agencies working together with SCE and the public to put together the best environmental and economic plan for the fate of the Borel Canal, and regardless of the final decision, the public will have a chance to review the proposed action and provide comment.