San Vicente Dam

San Vicente Dam
San Vicente Dam in 1950
Location of San Vicente Dam in California
LocationLakeside, San Diego County, California.
Coordinates32°54′44″N 116°55′28″W / 32.91222°N 116.92444°W / 32.91222; -116.92444
StatusOperational
Construction began1941 (1941) (original); 2009 (2009) (raising)
Opening date1943 (1943) (original); 2014 (2014) (raising)
Construction cost$2.7 million USD (original); $396 million USD (raising)
Owner(s)City of San Diego
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete gravity
ImpoundsSan Vicente Creek
Height220 ft (67 m) (original); 337 ft (103 m) (raised)
Length980 ft (300 m) (original); 1,425 ft (434 m) (raised)
Spillway typeOgee, uncontrolled
Reservoir
CreatesSan Vicente Reservoir
Total capacity90,000 acre⋅ft (110,000,000 m3) (original); 249,358 acre⋅ft (307,579,000 m3) (raised)
Catchment area75 sq mi (190 km2)
Surface area1,100 acres (4.5 km2) (original); 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) (raised)
Maximum water depth306 feet (93 m) (raised)

San Vicente Dam is a concrete gravity dam on San Vicente Creek near Lakeside and 25 km (15.5 mi) northeast of San Diego, California. The dam was built between 1941 and 1943 and created San Vicente Reservoir for the purpose of municipal water storage, flood control and recreation. Although the reservoir is fed by run-off, its main source is the First San Diego Aqueduct. In June 2009, construction to raise the height of the dam by 117 ft (36 m), in order to more than double its reservoir size, commenced. It is the largest dam raise in the United States and largest roller-compacted concrete dam raise in the world. The dam raise project was originally set for the end of 2012, but was completed in early 2014. Efforts to replace the water supply pipelines and prepare the reservoir for the public will be underway until 2015–2017.