Carmel River - Dams and Reservoirs

Dams and Reservoirs

The Carmel River has two dams, with their reservoirs used for drinking water and having severe sediment buildup.

The San Clemente Dam, built in 1921, is located 18 miles (29 km) upstream from the ocean, and once provided drinking water throughout the Monterey Peninsula. It had an original capacity of 1,450 acre·ft (1,790,000 m3), but as of 2002, the capacity had fallen to less than 150 acre feet (190,000 m3). It is no longer used to store water and is now 90 percent silted up. State regulators declared in 1991 that it was in danger of collapsing in an earthquake and spilling the 40 million US gallons (150,000 m3) of water trapped behind its crumbling walls. In January, 2010 an agreement was reached with the California American Water Company to dig a new half-mile channel to bypass and strand the sediment behind the dam at a cost of $84 million, beginning in 2013. This will open up a 7 miles (11 km) stretch of historic steelhead rainbow trout habitat on the river.

The Los Padres Dam, built in 1949, is located 25 miles (40 km) upstream from the ocean. Its original capacity was 3,030 acre feet (3,740,000 m3), but as of 2008, its capacity was only 1,775 acre feet (2,189,000 m3).

The oldest dam on the river, which was used as a turnout for a water pipeline, is located approximately 2,000 feet (610 m) downstream of San Clemente Dam. This first dam and associated pipeline was constructed ca. 1880 by Charles Crocker and the Pacific Improvement Company with a labor force that included approximately 700 Chinese workers. This small dam, which has been referred to as the "Chinese Dam" and "Old Carmel River Dam," was built using hewn and mortared granite blocks. A cast-iron pipe 25 miles (40 km) long and 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter was used to deliver water from the dam to the first Del Monte Hotel on the Monterey Peninsula, crossing the Carmel River five times on its way. Remnants of the original iron pipe still exist along Carmel Valley Road, but no records have been found to show where the pipe crossed the river.