| Lake Henshaw | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Diego County, California |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Catchment area | 217 square miles (560 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 1,140 acres (460 ha) |
| Water volume | 55,000 acre feet (68,000,000 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 5 miles (8.0 km) |
| Surface elevation | 2,723 feet (830 m) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Henshaw is a Reservoir in San Diego County, California at the southeast base of Palomar Mountain, approximately 70 miles (110 km) miles northeast of San Diego, California and 100 miles (160 km) miles southeast of Los Angeles.[1]
The lake covers approximately 1,140 acres (460 ha) and holds 55,000 acre feet (68,000,000 m3) of water when full (lowered in 1978 from its original capacity of 203,581 acre feet (251,113,000 m3) out of earthquake concerns),[2] in addition to groundwater stored in its local basin. It drains an area of 207 square miles (540 km2) square miles at the source of the San Luis Rey River.
The lake was constructed in 1923 with the building of Henshaw Dam, an earth dam 123 feet (37 m) tall and 650 feet (200 m) long. It is owned by the Vista Irrigation District and used primarily for agricultural irrigation.