Diamond Valley Lake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Diamond Valley Lake | |
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| Location | Southern California |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 4.5 mi (7.2 km) |
| Max. width | 2 mi (3 km) |
| Surface area | 4,500 acres (18 km²) |
| Max. depth | 260 ft (80 m) |
Built in the saddle of two mountains, Diamond Valley Lake-- Southern California’s newest and largest reservoir-- is a vital link in the regional system that’s brought water to Southern California for the past 60 years. The lake nearly doubled the area’s surface water storage capacity and provided additional water supplies for drought, peak summer and emergency needs.
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[edit] Geography
Domenigoni/Diamond valleys, four miles (6 km) southwest of the city of Hemet
Coordinates: (33.68240748°, -117.03421073°)
[edit] Facts and statistics
Construction: The dams are earth-core rock fill dams that make use of soil and rock materials, all obtained from areas located within the project boundary. Core materials were obtained from the silty and sandy alluvium in the floor of the reservoir. Rockfill came from the bedrock near the lake's South Rim. The West Dam and Saddle Dam rockfill shells are comprised of quartzite and phyllite obtained near the western end of the reservoir, while the East Dam rockfill shells are gneiss obtained near the eastern end of the reservoir. Filter and drain materials for all three dams were obtained by crushing and processing quartzite from the western end of the reservoir.
The shovels, loaders and trucks used on the project were the largest available in the industry and established a new standard for earth and rock movement. The two rock processing plants set up for the project provided combined production exceeding the capability of any single commercial processing operation in California.
The reservoir's construction field operations were the largest in the nation, moving more than 200,000 cubic yards (150,000 m³) of earth and rock each day to build the project's three dams. More than 150 million cubic yards (115,000,000 m³) of materials were hauled - more than two times the total excavation of the "Channel Tunnel" project linking England and France.
Equipment: Some of the biggest trucks in the world were used to build Diamond Valley Lake. Twelve Caterpillar 789 Model trucks were used in construction of the East Dam. When full of rock, trucks weighed 350 tons. They cost $1.4 million each. Their 1,800 horsepower (1.3 MW) engines burned fuel at a rate of 40 US gallons (150 L) per hour. They were so big they could not be driven legally on public streets. They were brought to the reservoir in pieces, assembled on site and then disassembled before being hauled away in trucks.
Water volume: Diamond Valley Lake can hold 800,000 acre-feet (1 km³) of water, or roughly 260 billion US gallons, the largest reservoir in Southern California. Its capacity is more than six times that of Lake Perris with 124,000 acre feet (0.15 km³).
Inlet/outlet tower: The reservoir is being filled through the inlet/outlet tower at a peak rate of 1,000 cubic feet per second (28 m³/s). That means enough water is being pumped into the reservoir to fill an average 15,000 to 16,000 US gallon (57 to 61 m³) swimming pool every two seconds.
Work force: At its peak in 1997 and 1998, the reservoir construction project employed an average of 1,800 people. At times, more than 1,900 people labored in building the reservoir’s three dams. From start to finish, about 5,000 people were employed by the construction project.
Cost: Project cost: $1.9 billion
Purpose: Almost doubles Southern California's surface storage capacity. Secures six months of emergency storage in the event of a major earthquake. Provides additional water supplies for drought protection and peak summer needs.
Dimensions
- 160 to 260 feet (50 to 80 m) deep
- Maximum elevation 1,756 feet (535 m) above sea level
Features: West dam: Earth/rock fill construction 285 feet (87 m) high, 9,100 ft (2.8 km) long, 1,200 feet (366 m) wide at the base and 40 feet (12 m) wide at the crest. East dam: Earth/rock fill construction 185 feet (56 m) high, 10,500 ft (3.2 km) long, 800 feet (244 m) wide at the base and 40 feet (12 m) wide at the crest. Saddle dam: Earth/rock fill construction 130 feet (40 m) high, (above the lowest point on the ridgeline), 2,300 ft (701 m) long, 720 feet (219 m) wide at the base. More than 110 million cubic yards (84,000,000 m³) of earth and rock will be required for the largest earth and rock fill project in the United States. Excavation began in 1995. Dam construction begins in late 1996.
Water sources: Colorado River Aqueduct delivered through the San Diego Canal into the reservoir forebay. Water is pumped from the forebay into the reservoir. California State Water Project from Silverwood Lake into the reservoir by gravity, through a new 12 foot (3.7 m) diameter, 45 mile (72 km) Inland Feeder, connecting with the new 9 mile (14 km) Eastside Pipeline.
Pumping plant: Twelve pumps at 5,000 horsepower (3.7 MW) each. One 1,000 cubic feet per second (28 m³/s) hydraulic control structure at Colorado River Aqueduct.
[edit] History
Water began pouring into the reservoir in November 1999 and the lake was filled by early 2002. Diamond Valley Lake holds 800,000 acre-feet (1 km³), or 260 billion US gallons of water. By comparison, Lake Havasu, on The Colorado River, holds just 648,000 acre-feet (0.8 km³) or 201 billion US gallons while Lake Mead holds 28.5 million acre feet (35 km³).
Paleontologists from the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, California uncovered thousands of fossils in the Diamond and Domenigoni valleys southwest of Hemet that will add immensely to the store of public knowledge about the region. Collectively, these animal fossils are named the Diamond Valley Lake Local Fauna.
During excavation, bones and skeletons were found from extinct mastodons, mammoth, camel, sloth, dire wolf and long-horned bison.
Many experts say the paleontogic finds of mammoth, mastodon and other Pleistocene Epoch species may well rival those at Rancho La Brea in Los Angeles, California (the world-famous La Brea Tar Pits). Unofficially, the area is being referred to as the Valley of the Mastodons. Fossils from the Diamond Valley Lake site comprise a classic late Pleistocene assemblage which includes the following extinct animals:
Jefferson’s ground sloth, Megalonyx jeffersoni
Harlan’s ground sloth, Paramylodon harlani
Dire wolf, Canis dirus
Black bear, Ursus americanus
Giant Short-faced bear, Arctodus simus
Sabre-toothed cat, Smilodon fatalis
American lion, Panthera atrox
American mastodon, Mammut americanum
Columbian mammoth, Mammuthus columbi
Western horse, Equus “occidentalis”
Small horse, Equus conversidens
Flat-headed peccary, Platygonus compressus
“Yesterday’s” camel, Camelops hesternus
Ancient bison, Bison antiquus
Long-horned bison, Bison latifrons
Many fossils of rabbits, rodents and pond turtles, as well as coyotes and deer, have been recovered as well.
One of the most common animals identified from the Diamond Valley Lake site by San Bernardino County Museum scientists was the extinct American mastodon, Mammut americanum. In North American paleontology, mastodons are thought to have been solitary forest-dwelling browsers. The abundance of mastodons in the fossil record from the site suggests that, during the last Ice Age, the Diamond Valley Lake site was more wooded or forested than today. Fossil remains of ponderosa pine and manzanita recovered from the site lend credence to this interpretation.
Radiometric dating of fossil plants from the Diamond Valley Lake site confirms an age range of less than 13,000 years ago to more than 40,000 years ago for these fossils.
