Yuba River

River in north-central California; length 56 km/35 mi. The Yuba was the scene of extensive gold mining in the 19th century, including large-scale, destructive hydraulic mining from the 1870s onwards. Nowadays it is an important source of hydroelectric power, as well as being widely used for leisure activities.

The Yuba rises in three forks in the Tahoe National Forest, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, northeast of Marysville. From here it flows southwest to the Feather River, just below Marysville. The South and North Yuba (both 90 km/55 mi long) each have a major dam on their course. Lake Spaulding Dam, a hydroelectric installation on the South Yuba, was completed in 1919, while the 194 m/636 ft-high New Bullards Bar Dam (1970, replacing a 1924 structure) on the North Yuba is one of the highest barriers in the USA.