Pyramid Dam
Encyclopedia
Pyramid Dam is a dam in the West Branch of the California Aqueduct
. Its reservoir, Pyramid Lake
, stores water for Ventura County and Los Angeles County. The dam and lake are located in northern Los Angeles County, north of Castaic
and south of Gorman
. They are smaller than Castaic Dam
and Lake
, the other artificial water storage facility in the area, 7 miles (11.3 km) to the south.
). State bonds were issued to finance the project. Pyramid Dam, which first began construction in 1968, is 386 feet (118 m) high. It lies directly behind the mountain rock giving the dam and lake its name - Pyramid Cut - which before the Ridge Route Alternate (later signed as U.S. Route 99) was built through the area in the 1931 to 1933 time period, was just another ordinary mountain. The highway construction of the Ridge Route Alternate caused this mountain to have part of its mass "shaved" off - reduced in size - and after the work to accommodate highway traffic was finished, the shape of the cut was found to resemble a pyramid, and hence the name.
tooth
, has been used for boating, swimming and camping since 1974. The dam and lake were built by the state of California Department of Water Resources
(DWR), who maintains them today. The water stored there serves residents, businesses and farmers in Ventura County
and LA County.
California Aqueduct
The Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern- and Central California to Southern California. The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the...
. Its reservoir, Pyramid Lake
Pyramid Lake (California)
Pyramid Lake is an artificial lake formed by Pyramid Dam on Piru Creek, near Castaic, California. The reservoir lies on the border between the Angeles National Forest and the Los Padres National Forest in the northwestern portion of Los Angeles County....
, stores water for Ventura County and Los Angeles County. The dam and lake are located in northern Los Angeles County, north of Castaic
Castaic, California
Castaic, California, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, north of Santa Clarita and a few miles from Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. It is approximately 39 miles from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center. As of the 2010...
and south of Gorman
Gorman, California
Gorman, California, is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County. As of 2005 it had just 15 homes and a few registered voters, but tens of thousands of motorists traveled through it daily on the Interstate 5 freeway....
. They are smaller than Castaic Dam
Castaic Dam
Castaic Dam is a dam near the city of Castaic, California. It is an earth-fill dam, though its surfaces are covered with boulders and cobble-sized rocks to prevent erosion. Although located on Castaic Creek and forming Castaic Lake, Castaic Creek provides little of its water. The lake is the...
and Lake
Castaic Lake
Castaic Lake is an artificial lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The lake with a surface elevation of approximately above sea level is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes...
, the other artificial water storage facility in the area, 7 miles (11.3 km) to the south.
Funding and Construction
Construction of the dam was made possible by California voter approval in 1960 of the California Aqueduct project, also referred to as the Feather River project (the source of the water in the northern part of the state north of AuburnAuburn, California
Auburn is the county seat of Placer County, California. Its population at the 2010 census was 13,330. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history.Auburn is part of the Greater Sacramento area.- History :...
). State bonds were issued to finance the project. Pyramid Dam, which first began construction in 1968, is 386 feet (118 m) high. It lies directly behind the mountain rock giving the dam and lake its name - Pyramid Cut - which before the Ridge Route Alternate (later signed as U.S. Route 99) was built through the area in the 1931 to 1933 time period, was just another ordinary mountain. The highway construction of the Ridge Route Alternate caused this mountain to have part of its mass "shaved" off - reduced in size - and after the work to accommodate highway traffic was finished, the shape of the cut was found to resemble a pyramid, and hence the name.
Statistics
Pyramid Dam holds 171196 acre.ft of water, covering an area of 1,297 acres (5.25 km²). Its maximum capacity is 180000 acre.ft of water. The lake behind the dam, shaped like a TriceratopsTriceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
tooth
Tooth
Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are embedded in the Mandible bone or the Maxillary bone and are...
, has been used for boating, swimming and camping since 1974. The dam and lake were built by the state of California Department of Water Resources
California Department of Water Resources
The California Department of Water Resources , is a department within the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Water Resources is responsible for the State of California's management and regulation of water usage...
(DWR), who maintains them today. The water stored there serves residents, businesses and farmers in Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
and LA County.
US 99
During the construction of Pyramid Dam, US 99 vehicle traffic was rerouted to Interstate 5 beginning in 1968. In the 1968-9 time period, motorists could still drive US 99 from Violin Summit to Hungry Valley Road (since renamed Smokey Bear Road). After completion of the dam in 1970 Feather River water began to fill the area behind the dam, a plan conceived of even before the construction of the Ridge Route Alternate. By 1972 the Ridge Route Alternate was fully submerged under the lake's water. Since then, its southern border with the lake continues to serve as a boat ramp. The lake's northern border portion of US 99 is closed to motorists.See also
- List of reservoirs and dams in California
- U.S. Route 99