Morris reservoir
Encyclopedia
Morris Reservoir is located in the San Gabriel Mountains
about 5 miles north of the city of Azusa
along California State Route 39
. Morris Reservoir is below San Gabriel Dam
. The mean elevation is about 1100 ft. The Morris Dam
was completed in May 1934 and is a concrete, partially arched gravity structure rising 245 feet above the original stream bed.
This site was a naval weapons test facility from World War II, and was transferred to the Department of Public Works in 1995. It was established by Caltech, which was developing weapons for the Navy at its Naval Ordnance Test Station at Ridgecrest, California (which today is known as the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, and which is still the primary proving ground for naval weapons systems). Because there is no lake to speak of at China Lake, Caltech opened this substation at the Morris Reservoir, in the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Azusa. This site was used especially for the development of submarine-based warfare systems, including torpedoes, bombs, and submarine-launched missiles like the Polaris rocket, the first ballistic missile that could be launched from submerged submarines. Most of the buildings at the site have been removed, and the site is being restored to a "natural" state, and may once again be open to the public.
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
about 5 miles north of the city of Azusa
Azusa
Azusa is a Japanese feminine given name.Azusa may also refer to:*Azusa, California, a city in the United States*Azusa Street Revival, a Christian movement that began in Los Angeles*AZUSA - Radar interferometer*Azusa Yamamoto, a Japanese model and actress...
along California State Route 39
California State Route 39
State Route 39 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels through Orange and Los Angeles counties. Its southern terminus is at Pacific Coast Highway , in Huntington Beach, and its northern terminus is at Islip Saddle on Angeles Crest Highway in the Angeles National...
. Morris Reservoir is below San Gabriel Dam
San Gabriel Dam
San Gabriel Dam is a rockfill dam on the San Gabriel River in the San Gabriel Mountains, in Los Angeles County, California, within the Angeles National Forest...
. The mean elevation is about 1100 ft. The Morris Dam
Morris Dam
Morris Dam is a concrete gravity dam across the San Gabriel River in the U.S. state of California. The dam was built in the 1930s as a water supply facility for the city of Pasadena, but is now mostly utilized for flood control and flow regulation for groundwater recharge...
was completed in May 1934 and is a concrete, partially arched gravity structure rising 245 feet above the original stream bed.
This site was a naval weapons test facility from World War II, and was transferred to the Department of Public Works in 1995. It was established by Caltech, which was developing weapons for the Navy at its Naval Ordnance Test Station at Ridgecrest, California (which today is known as the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, and which is still the primary proving ground for naval weapons systems). Because there is no lake to speak of at China Lake, Caltech opened this substation at the Morris Reservoir, in the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Azusa. This site was used especially for the development of submarine-based warfare systems, including torpedoes, bombs, and submarine-launched missiles like the Polaris rocket, the first ballistic missile that could be launched from submerged submarines. Most of the buildings at the site have been removed, and the site is being restored to a "natural" state, and may once again be open to the public.
External links
- The Caltech Archives: Morris Dam reservoir, San Gabriel Mountains
- Morris Dam Water Supply Enhancement Project Final Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration
- Morris Dam valve leakage photo
- Morris Dam data