Lake Poway Explained

Lake Poway
Location:Poway, California, US
Dam Type:Earthen dam
Dam Height:165feet
Dam Volume:1300000m2
Construction Began:1970
Opening:1972
Status:In use
Owner:City of Poway
Res Capacity Total:3800acre.ft
Res Surface:35acres
Location Map:California#USA
Coordinates:33.0069°N -117.01°W
Website:poway.org/401/Lake-Poway

Lake Poway is a dam and reservoir in Poway, California, United States. The dam is owned by the City of Poway and was constructed between 1970 and 1972 with the purpose of storing and supplying water, and providing recreational facilities to the community. A $3.2-million bond issue for construction of the dam was rejected by voters in 1964 and 1966, but passed with 87 percent in favor in 1969. Year-round fishing for trout, bass, catfish, sunfish and bluegill is available at the lake.

History

In 1962, a report showed that Poway's existing storage facilities were insufficient in the event of a breakdown of the aqueduct from the Colorado river following an earthquake or other interruption to the supply. As a result, it was proposed that an earthen dam be built in Warren Canyon to impound water and form a storage reservoir. Funds for the project were to come from a bond issue and the matter came to a vote in March 1964. In this first vote and a second attempt in June 1966, the measure received the support of most voters, but failed to reach the required two-thirds majority. Finally, in June 1969, a $3.2-million bond was passed with 87 percent in favor. Groundbreaking took place in December 1970, with water flowing into the dam in late 1971. Recreational facilities were built in 1972, and opened in October of that year.[1]

In 2017, torrential rains caused the reservoir water level to near the top of the dam, but a spillover did not occur and it remained structurally sound.[2]

In 2019, Poway experienced a water quality event. A precautionary boil water advisory was issued and the San Diego County Department of Health forced restaurants and other businesses to shut down for a week.[3] The problem started when a storm water pipe backed up during strong rains on the 28 and 29 of November. Due to a valve failure the pipe leaked storm water into the clearwell reservoir near Lake Poway, and next to the water treatment plant, clouding the water sent to homes with mud and residue.[4] After the problem was fixed, the 2019 annual water quality report showed that the drinking water was safe.[5] [6] Following this incident a major overhaul of the water system is scheduled to start in 2021, taking five years to be completed and with an estimated cost of $70 million. The project involves replacing the clear well and adding a secondary back up tank to ensure continuous operation.[7] A million dollars in federal funding was secured for the project, to be used in bypassing the existing clear well.[8]

Dam and reservoir

The dam is an earth-filled dam with a height of 165feet. The reservoir has a surface area of 35 acres (14 ha), and a capacity of 3800acre.ft.[9] The spillway is a span of concrete 100feet wide, located on the east side of the dam.[10]

Water is supplied by the San Diego County Water Authority to be processed through the Lester J. Berglund water treatment plant and then stored in a clearwell.

Recreational usage

The adjacent hillside park has several picnic areas, playgrounds and sports facilities.[11] Since 1997, the "Game at the Lake" annual softball game between Poway High School and Rancho Bernardo High School has taken place on the final day of the regular season.[12]

On May 9, 2017, a memorial statue was unveiled at Lake Poway in honor of long-time Poway resident and San Diego Padres baseball player Tony Gwynn. The bronze likeness of Gwynn was designed by Seth Vandable.[13]

Hiking

The lake has a 2.75-mile loop trail that circles the reservoir and links to other trails such as the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve trail to Lake Ramona, and the more difficult route to the top of Mount Woodson, and the Potato Chip rock.[14]

The trail passes through four distinct environments: sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodland and riparian woodland.[15] A variety of native plants such as Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus) and Wild Canterbury bells (Phacelia minor) can be found near the lake.[16]

Fishing

Year-round fishing is available for trout, bass, catfish, sunfish and bluegill. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout in the winter months, and offers good fishing for bass, catfish, and bluegill in warmer months.[17] The lake has hosted an annual youth fishing derby for more than 25 years.[18]

The following are the lake catch records:[19]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shepardson . Mary . Third time was the charm for Lake Poway . San Diego Union Tribune . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629134417/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/opinion/editorial/then-and-now/sd-shepardson-third-time-charm-lake-poway-20171103-htmlstory.html . 29 June 2020 . 4 November 2017.
  2. Web site: Dreyer. Steve. 1 March 2017. City monitoring Lake Poway reservoir level. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200629021854/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/news/local-news/poway/sd-city-monitoring-lake-poway-level-20170301-story.html. 29 June 2020. 29 June 2020. San Diego Union Tribune.
  3. Web site: Hoffman. Matt. 6 December 2019. Poway Businesses Hurting In Midst Of Water Crisis. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200629143818/https://www.kpbs.org/news/2019/dec/06/poway-businesses-hurting-after-water-contamination/. 2020-06-29. 2020-06-29. KPBS Public Media. en.
  4. Web site: Jones. J. Harry. 2019-12-07. State lifts boil-water alert in Poway, deems water safe to drink. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200707035820/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-07/state-lifts-boil-water-alert-poway-water-safe. 2020-07-07. 2020-07-07. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
  5. Web site: Sorensen . Emily . Poway report shows drinking water is safe and high-quality . San Diego Union Tribune . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629140535/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/news/story/2020-06-26/poway-report-shows-drinking-water-is-safe-and-high-quality . 29 June 2020 . 26 June 2020.
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20200629140950/https://poway.org/DocumentCenter/View/7372/2019-Poway-Annual-Water-Quality-Report 2019 Poway Annual Water Quality Report
  7. Web site: Lasky. Jeff. 2021-06-10. Poway prepares to overhaul water system in wake of 2019 contamination crisis. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210701041333/https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/north-county-news/poway-prepares-to-overhaul-water-system-in-wake-of-2019-contamination-crisis. 2021-07-01. 2021-07-01. KGTV. en.
  8. Web site: Brandt . Angela . 2022-03-21 . Poway receives $1 million in federal funding for water treatment plant . https://web.archive.org/web/20220321223403/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/news/story/2022-03-21/poway-receives-1-million-in-federal-funding-for-water-treatment-plant . 2022-03-21 . 2022-04-01 . Pomerado News . en-US.
  9. Web site: Janczyn . George . A visit to Lake Poway reservoir and dam . Groksurf's San Diego . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629022330/https://groksurf.com/2013/05/27/a-visit-to-lake-poways-reservoir-and-dam/ . 29 June 2020 . 27 May 2013.
  10. Web site: Jones. J. Harry. 2017-02-28. Rains nearly fill Lake Poway. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200707041450/https://www.baltimoresun.com/sd-no-lake-poway-20170228-story.html. 2020-07-07. 2020-07-07. baltimoresun.com.
  11. Web site: Lake Poway . City of Poway . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629024938/https://poway.org/401/Lake-Poway . 29 June 2020.
  12. Web site: Monahan. Terry. 2021-06-03. Final 'Game at the Lake' is Friday, before water project forces multi-year hiatus. live. https://archive.today/20210630163945/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/sports/story/2021-06-02/final-game-at-the-lake-is-friday-before-water-project-forces-multi-year-hiatus. 2021-06-30. 2021-06-30. Pomerado News. en-US.
  13. Web site: Tony Gwynn Memorial . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629025358/https://poway.org/863/Tony-Gwynn-Memorial . 29 June 2020.
  14. Web site: 2015-01-08. Mount Woodson (Potato Chip Rock) via Lake Poway. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200630131251/http://hikingsdcounty.com/mount-woodson-potato-chip-rock-via-lake-poway/. 2020-06-30. 2020-06-30. Hiking San Diego County. en-US.
  15. Book: Schad . Jerry . Turner . Scott . Afoot and Afield: San Diego County . 2017 . Wilderness Press . Birmingham, AL . 978-0-89997-801-7 . 112 . 5th.
  16. Web site: Schmidt. Clarence. 2018-11-20. Enjoying our local native plants. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200630133048/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/opinion/editorial/good-natured-gardening/sd-cm-pow-column-gardening-1122-htmlstory.html. 2020-06-30. 2020-06-30. San Diego Union Tribune. en-US.
  17. Web site: Lake Poway. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200630131635/https://sdfish.com/lake-poway/. 2020-06-30. 2020-06-30. SDFish. en-US.
  18. Web site: Sorensen. Emily. 2021-01-07. Poway youth fishing derby, campout signups open. live. https://archive.today/20210110053613/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/news/story/2021-01-07/youth-fishing-derby-campout-signups-open. 2021-01-10. 2021-01-10. Pomerado News. en-US.
  19. Web site: Lake Poway Fish Report & Records . City of Poway . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629015738/https://poway.org/437/Lake-Poway-Fish-Report-Records . 29 June 2020.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lake Poway".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.