Salt Springs Reservoir, body of water

Salt Springs Reservoir is a reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, sitting at around 3,900 feet (1,200 m) near the southern edge of the Mokelumne Wilderness. The shoreline alternates between rocky outcrops and small sandy coves, with pine forest covering most of the surrounding slopes.

Salt Springs Dam, a 332-foot concrete-faced rock-fill dam on the North Fork of the Mokelumne River, was completed in 1931 for Pacific Gas and Electric. Poor rock consolidation caused settlement, cracking the concrete face and producing leaks; a flexible geomembrane was installed over the worst areas by 2005. The dam is now studied as the lower pool of a proposed 380–1,140 MW pumped-storage project with Bear River Dam as the upper pool.

The reservoir's name comes from the salt springs recorded among nearby features such as Salt Springs and Shovel Grave. Recreation is limited: PG&E owns the reservoir and its sole purpose is hydroelectricity production, with water piped to the 44 MW Salt Springs Powerhouse. The surrounding slopes are pine forest, and Mokelumne Peak rises about 9 km to the southwest.

The reservoir lies about 30 miles (48 km) east-northeast of Jackson, in the Eldorado National Forest at 3,900 feet (1,200 m). Access is via unpaved forest roads, and recreation is limited because the dam is owned by Pacific Gas and Electric and serves hydroelectric production. The 332-foot (101 m) concrete-faced rock-fill dam and its cracked, shotcrete-patched surface can be seen from the shore.

The dam's concrete face has cracked repeatedly as its rock fill settled, causing leaks; a flexible geomembrane was fitted over the leakiest sections and finished in 2005. The surface still shows cracks, craters and shotcrete patches. The dam is also being studied as the lower pool of a proposed 380–1,140 MW pumped-storage scheme using Bear River Dam as the upper pool.