Bowman Dam and Lake is an instream facility on Canyon Creek. It is in the South Yuba watershed and as part of NID’s Yuba-Bear Hydroelectric Project. Bowman was constructed in 1869 and reconstructed in 1926-27. Nearby towns are Graniteville (4.76 miles) and Sierra City (8.17 miles).

Bowman South Arch stands at 105 tall and 567 feet long, while Bowman North is 178 feet high and 700 feet in length. They are earthen and concrete (South Arch) and rockfill (North) dams. The typical low level is 35,000 to 40,000 acre-feet. Bowman supplies water and head for Bowman Powerhouse Deer Creek Diversion.

With a surface area of 820 acres and capacity of 68,510 acre-feet, Bowman Lake is formed on Canyon Creek by Bowman North Dam, and Bowman South Dam and Spillway. 

NID holds pre-1914 water rights to store 21,350 acre-feet.

Recreation: Bowman has remote dispersed camping and boating. It is a large lake surrounded by rocky cliffs and scattered pines, and it is good for fishing and swimming. A few islands are found in the lake.

Read the history and see photos of the 1920s rebuilding of Bowman