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Road trip! Aqua Blog Maven tours Southern California reservoirs

Posted by: Maven on October 28, 2009 at 8:08 am

IMG_4176 compAnd speaking of road trips, I recently took one. Having been blessed with a day completely free of familial obligations, I and trusty AquaDog took to the road to visit some Southern California resevoirs, including the area’s largest reservoir, Diamond Valley Lake.

To cut to the chase, here’s a picture of Diamond Valley Lake. An MWD press release in July of 2009 said it was down 100 feet.

If you want to check out more of my pictures, click

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On my way to Diamond Valley Lake, I went past Lake Matthews, which is the official terminus for the Colorado River Aqueduct.

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Lake Mathews holds 182,000 acre-feet, although it’s not holding as much as that on this day.

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Over on the west side of the dam are the dedication plaques. The dam was originally competed in 1939, creating a 107,000 acre-foot reservoir. It was expanded in 1961 to 182,000 acre-feet. (Yes, true to water geek form, I actually read the plaques…!)

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The plaque for the dedication of the expansion says this: “By the vision and courage of the people in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, water flowing into this reservoir has been brought across barren reaches of desert and mountain barriers to serve the homes and industries and to sustain the lives of millions of people now and in the years to come.”

Yup, it’s true. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, like it or not, I & the millions of others who transplanted here from somewhere else owe our existence here to these folks…

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OK, enough pondering and on to Diamond Valley Lake, Southern California’s largest reservoir.

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The lake looks visibly down.
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In July of 2009, a Metropolitan press release had stated that the lake had dropped 100 feet.

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Boat launches had to be stopped as the water level dropped below the boat ramp. Construction is underway on a boat ramp extension, which could be completed as soon as February of 2010.

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Diamond Valley Lake is an off-stream reservoir, which means it isn’t fed by any natural waterway. Instead, water is pumped and out of it through the Hiram W. Wadsworth Pumping Plant.

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The plant includes a 500 acre-foot forebay, which serves as a regulatory pond for the pumping plant, ensuring the water is delivered evenly to the 12 pump/turbines, which are capable of moving 16,000 gallons of water per second into the reservoir.

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Water is conveyed back and forth from the reservoir via the San Diego Canal. The reservoir can receive Colorado River water through the San Diego Canal, or now also State Water Project water, which is delivered from Lake Silverwood through the recently completed Inland Feeder to the San Diego Canal.

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The area around the reservoir is part of the Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve. There is a 21.8 mile hiking and biking trail around the lake, and in the springtime, the area is alive with wildflowers. Alas, not today, though… (Hint: if you do come to hike, do not bring your dog. No pets allowed! I was allowed to visit but had to keep AquaDog in the car.)

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If you get all the way out there, you must stop by the visitors center, located by the entrance to the road up to the Marina.

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The building is surrounded by drought-tolerant landscaping.
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I especially liked this combination of red roses & succulents:
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Inside, there are exhibits for water wonks of all ages, such as this room-sized map of California water systems ….

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and interactive exhibits for the young….
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plus a historical display and artifacts on the Colorado River Aqueduct … and more! If you’re in the area, definitely make plans to stop by. Check their website, though – they have limited hours.

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Now up the road to Lake Perris. The 131,450 acre-foot reservoir is the terminus of the East Branch of the California Aqueduct.

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And now on to the last planned stop of the day, the Devil Canyon Power Plant in San Bernardino. Check out the penstocks, over a mile long!
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The water comes from Lake Silverwood, located 1400 feet higher and five miles north of the power plant. The water passes from Lake Silverwood through the San Bernardino Tunnel (4 miles long) and then down through the penstocks, giving the power plant the highest hydraulic head amongst all the State Water Project’s power plants.

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Unfortunately, I can’t get too close to it all, although I hope to return someday for a tour. Then I can ask them what the heck these things are….

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Here’s the water flowing out of the plant into the afterbays:
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I had hopes of making it to Lake Silverwood, too, but I’m losing the light, so it’s back to home base by way of the Pearblossom Highway, where I checked on the aqueduct.  It looked full.

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As my day drew to a close, I was treated to this colorful if not eerie cloud display at sunset outside of Palmdale.
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October 28, 2009 · Filed Under Aquafornia News & Exclusives

Comments

One Response to “Road trip! Aqua Blog Maven tours Southern California reservoirs”

  1. Robert on July 29th, 2011 9:34 am

    Are your pictures copyrighted. I wanted to use a few in class presentation. It is non-profit.

    Thanks!

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