American River
The North Fork is the longest tributary of the American River, at . It begins at an elevation of about near Lake Tahoe in Placer County at Mountain Meadow Lake, just northeast of Granite Chief and immediately due west of Squaw Valley Ski Resort. It flows westward through remote wilderness areas.
Auburn Dam
Filling the Auburn Reservoir would result in a two-pronged, lake which would inundate numerous canyons and rapids of the North and Middle Forks of the American River. In 1981, the American River was acknowledged as the most popular recreational river in California. Over one million people visit the canyons of the North and Middle Forks of the American River each year to engage in various recreational activities, including kayaking, rafting, hiking, hunting, biking, horseback riding, gold mining, off-roading, and rock climbing. About 900,000 of these visitors go to the Auburn State Recreation Area, which includes the former dam site. The reservoir would inundate most of the Auburn recreation area, although some new recreational opportunities such as boating, water-skiing and deep water fishing would be created as a result of the new lake. Many trails, including those used by the Tevis Cup and Western States Endurance Run, would be submerged. The Auburn Reservoir would also result in the destruction of thousands of acres of riverine habitat, and the inundation of historic and archaeological sites.