Powerhouse: (Satellite)
The dam is 645' (197m) tall.
The New Bullards Bar Dam inundated the 200' (61m) dam built in 1922. [Warren Frederickson post]
The powerhouse is 350mw. More than 15,000 customers lost power when the torrent of water took out the switchyard.. [4:49 video]
Feb 13, 2026: the penstock broke near the butterfly valve.
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| 8:34 video @ 2:16 Colgate Penstock Failure! Friday the 13th of Feb 2026 It uses Pelton turbines with a combined flow of 3,500cfs. |
The torrent of water going down the mountain side then eroded the footings and caused another break in the penstock.
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| @ 2:53 |
The penstock begins at the face of the dam and soon goes through a tunnel through granite rock for a few miles to...
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| Satellite |
...the top of a penstock above the Colgate Powerhouse.
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| Satellite |
The penstock drops from about the 1300' contour line down to below the 700' contour line.
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| 1969/77 French Corral Quad @ 24,000 |
Since the topo map marks the tunnel, I zoomed out to get the whole tunnel.
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| 1969 Challenge and French Corral Quads @ 24,000 |
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| Chris Fen commented on Warren's post |
Another view of the dam.
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| blancolirio Screenshot |
A view with the spillway in action.
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| 0:12 video |
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| YubaWater Plans are being made to spend about a quarter-billion dollars to add another spillway. The new spillway will be 31.5' lower than the current one so that the reservoir can be drawn down even further in anticipation of atmospheric river rain storms. This allows water to be released while the lower channel has plenty of capacity to handle the flow. |
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| 3:24 video @ 0:56 A look at the damage after a pipe burst at New Colgate Powerhouse |
Before:
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| @ 2:39 |
After:
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| @ 2:53 |
Another before & after:
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| 4:49 video @ 4:17 |
Four workers had to be rescued by helicopter because the access road was washed out in several locations. One of the workers was flown directly to a hospital. This Feb 14 report says the worker is still in the hospital.
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| Facebook Reel "Tunnel and penstock had been off-line for several months of maintenance, without water in them. "Testing with water was underway Friday. The blowout happened just before 3 PM Friday, sending a torrent of water and hillside debris downhill, across the power generation plant, power substation and into the Yuba River." [It appears that it failed the test.] |
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| Supervisor Bradford posted [The description is a lot of platitudes. Use the "posted" link if you want to waste your time.] Sean Sim: New Colgate Powerhouse – Recent Construction (2025–2026) 1. Major Tunnel & Penstock Improvement Project: A major infrastructure modernization project began in late 2025 involving the inspection, repair, and reinforcement of the five■mile Colgate Tunnel and modernization of the one■mile penstock pipe that delivers water from New Bullards Bar Reservoir to the powerhouse turbines. The project also includes installing a new protective valve, removing sediment and debris, and performing additional powerhouse system upgrades. Construction staging began September 2025, with the main outage and internal work running from October 2025 through mid■February 2026. 2. Operational and River Flow Changes: During the upgrade, the powerhouse was temporarily taken offline. Water releases downstream of New Bullards Bar Dam were increased to safely route water around the facility. Although the outage temporarily reduced power generation, the modernization project is intended to extend the system’s life and improve long■term reliability for the approximately 350■MW hydropower facility. 3. February 2026 Pipe Failure: During the upgrade period, a high■pressure penstock pipe failure caused flooding inside the facility and required worker rescues. The incident occurred while upgrade work was ongoing, and the cause remains under investigation. The event highlighted the importance of the once■in■decades system maintenance project designed to improve long■term safety and operational performance. Summary: The recent construction activity at the New Colgate Powerhouse is not a new plant build but a major modernization effort focused on tunnel and penstock upgrades to improve safety, reliability, and hydropower output for the region. Daun Langston: The valves that broke were Installed just two months ago; they were being tested by Yuba County Water Agency....You suggested maintenance, but the problem occurred in a brand new $70 million valve. Paul Breitag Mike Haemmig the brand-new valve was being put online for the first time. Hardly lack of maintenance. Most likely valve failure was from manufacturer or installation. I guess we'll find out after an investigation. |
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