Diamond Valley Lake is a man-made offstream reservoir located near Hemet, California, United States. It is one of the largest reservoirs in Southern California and also one of the newest. With 800,000 acre feet (990,000,000 m3) of water, The lake nearly doubled the area’s surface water storage capacity and provides additional water supplies for drought, peak summer, and emergency needs.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California began the $1.9 billion construction project in 1995. Filling of the lake, by way of the Colorado River Aqueduct began in 1999 and was completed in 2003. The lake is currently served and filled by the Inland Feeder.
The lake features three earth fill dams; two on either side of the valley and one on the south rim. Construction of the dams took advantage of nearby materials, and was one of the largest earthworks projects in the United States. Excavation of core materials for the dams resulted in many paleontological finds, all of which are displayed at the Western Science Center at the lake's East end. The lake is open to boating and fishing, along with hiking and other recreational activities around the lake.
Read more about Diamond Valley Lake: Geography, Construction, Paleontological Finds, Recreation
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