Bear Valley Dam reservoir
Bear Valley Dam
Bear Valley Dam is a concrete gravity dam located in the Central Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. It was completed in 1911 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to provide hydroelectric power to nearby communities. The dam is 218 feet high and impounds Bear Valley Reservoir with a capacity of 90,000 acre-feet. The dam is mainly fed by the Mokelumne River and its tributaries, which are known for their snowpack and are important sources of water for agriculture and urban areas in California. The dam's watershed also provides recreational opportunities for visitors, including fishing, camping, and hiking. In recent years, the dam has been under scrutiny for its safety and seismic stability, leading to upgrades and retrofits to ensure its longevity.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Bear Valley Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Sar Supp Gage Nr Mentone Ca | 27 cfs | → |
| Santa Ana R Nr Mentone (River Only) Ca | 29 cfs | → |
| Plunge C Nr East Highlands Ca | 2 cfs | → |
| City C Nr Highland Ca | 3 cfs | → |
| Sand Canyon C Nr Highland Ca | 1 cfs | → |
| Deep C Nr Hesperia Ca | 15 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Bear Valley Dam.
⛺ Campgrounds
- Yellow Post #30
- Bluff Mesa Group Campground
- Yellow Post #29
- Yellow Post #28
- Boulder Group Campground
- Gray's Peak Group Campground
🎣 Fishing spots
More fishing →Track Bear Valley Dam in the Snoflo app
Save this reservoir as a favorite and set push alerts when storage crosses a threshold (e.g. "alert me at 80% of normal").
About Bear Valley Dam
Where does the data for Bear Valley Dam come from?
Daily storage, pool elevation, and release rates are sourced from USGS, USBR, and USACE monitoring stations. Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
Storage observations are updated daily by the operating agency. The 15-day weather forecast refreshes throughout the day. Snoflo caches and renders the most recent observation -- check the "as of" timestamp on the storage card.
What does the Hazard hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this reservoir, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Bear Valley Dam.