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A dam raising for history: Making San Vicente 117 feet higher will be the largest such project in the country

Posted by: Maven on July 10, 2009 at 6:26 am

From the San Diego Union Tribune:

With a ceremonial blast and a cloud of dirt, officials yesterday celebrated the beginning of work on a project to raise San Vicente Dam in Lakeside and provide more room to store water for San Diego County residents.

The $568 million project to raise the 220-foot dam by an additional 117 feet is the largest dam raise in the United States, officials said. It’s also the tallest in the world using a process called roller-compacted concrete, which can be placed in less time at a lower cost but is as strong as conventional concrete.

State and local officials heralded the dam raising as a historic event. “Today we’re a step closer to the finish line in terms of increased water supply,” said Mike Chrisman, the state’s secretary of natural resources.

Construction will take about three years, and the reservoir will remain closed to boaters for an additional two to five years until it refills.

The dam raising is part of a larger, $1.5 billion project by the San Diego County Water Authority to provide up to six months of emergency water storage. It also will provide additional storage from rainy years during droughts.

Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.

The new Groksurf’s San Diego blog shares his thoughts on the project – click here.

July 10, 2009 · Filed Under San Diego

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