Lake Nacimiento

For the census-designated place, see Lake Nacimiento, California.
Lake Nacimiento

An arm of the "Dragon Lake"
Location San Luis Obispo County, California
Coordinates 35°44′36″N 120°57′39″W / 35.74345°N 120.96085°WCoordinates: 35°44′36″N 120°57′39″W / 35.74345°N 120.96085°W
Lake type reservoir
Primary inflows Nacimiento River
Primary outflows Nacimiento River
Basin countries United States
Max. length 18 mi (29 km)

Lake Nacimiento is an 18-mile (29 km) long lake on the Nacimiento River in northern San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake contains many arms including Snake Creek and Dip Creek, nearer the dam, and the central Las Tablas and Franklin Creeks. Because of the dragon-like shape created by the positions of these arms, it is sometimes referred to as Dragon Lake. The lake can fill quickly in the winter from river surges resulting from downpours upstream in the Santa Lucia Range so the level is not usually allowed to capacity until May 1 of each year.

Lake Nacimiento is an excellent fishery, but eating the lake's fish should be done with extreme caution due to high mercury levels. An advisory on consuming certain fish species has been issued. The lake is unique among California reservoirs in that it contains, among other species, introduced white bass, which thrive in the lake and spawn in the river and inflowing creeks in Spring. In fact, the world fly fishing record for a white bass was broken in 1981 at Lake Nacimiento. The fish was caught by Cory Wells, a member of the world famous musical group, Three Dog Night. The record stood for over 27 years. Lake Nacimiento can also produce power from a turbine at the base of the dam.

Lake Nacimiento is also a haven for watersport enthusiasts. The lake provides ample room for waterskiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, and other water-related activities.

The lake was originally designed for irrigation water and flood control as well as recreation. Nacimiento Dam, a 210-foot (64 m) earthfill dam, forms the lake. The dam was built by the Monterey County Water Authority under Monterey County District Engineer Loran Bunte Jr, which completed construction in 1961. The water authority uses the lake to recharge its groundwater. Even though the lake is entirely inside San Luis Obispo County, the waters are patrolled by the Monterey County Parks Department under a joint powers agreement with San Luis Obispo County. The Monterey County Parks Department’s primary jurisdiction is the lake waters, up to the high water mark and the resort area. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office does have a boat at the lake for access to the back county around the lake. Also, they have been know to write tickets on the water. Lake Nacimiento has a capacity of 377,000 acre feet (465,000,000 m3). The lake is near the city of Paso Robles. The lake is also the home of two residential housing developments, which lie on the lake's shore. The communities are named Heritage Ranch and Oak Shores. Except for the resort area near the dam, most of the property around the lake is private. Overnight camping on the lake, outside of the resort, is not allowed. Also, you are considered trespassing if you set up or venture on land above the high water mark.

Alcohol related violations are a significant problem that enforcement agencies have faced over the years. Every summer weekend, numerous people are arrested by Park Rangers and Sheriff Deputies, for boating under the influence of alcohol.

The lake was developed and paid for by Monterey County. However San Luis Obispo County retained the rights to 17,500 acre feet of water per year. This was not requested by San Luis Obispo County until the mid-2000s. In October 2007, construction started on a pipeline to bring water from the lake to Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, and San Luis Obispo. During construction, three people were killed—one run over by a dump truck, and two drowned when an excavator hit an unrelated water pipeline which flooded a section of water project pipe under construction. The project went online in January 2011.

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