Castaic Lake
34°31.487333′N 118°35.256166′W / 34.524788883°N 118.587602767°W
| Castaic Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Los Angeles County, California |
| Primary inflows | California Aqueduct |
| Basin countries | United States |
Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mile watershed above the dam. The aqueduct water comes from Pyramid Lake through a pipeline and is used to power Castaic Power Plant, on the northern end of the lake. In addition, the lake is the lower reservoir in a pumped-storage hydroelectric system. Water is pumped back up to Pyramid Lake at night, when electricity demand and cost is low. During the day, when prices and demand are high, the water is let back down. Water from the lake is distributed throughout the northern portion of the Greater Los Angeles Area. Some water is released into Castaic Lagoon below the dam, which drains into Castaic Creek. The creek flows south until it meets the Santa Clara River, a few miles west of Santa Clarita.
Castaic Lake is a "de facto" replacement reservoir for the St. Francis Dam, which was located in San Francisquito Canyon, the next canyon to the east. The St. Francis Dam collapsed due to a geologic fault in 1928, and the resulting flood killed over 400 people in the Santa Clara River Valley.
Castaic Lake was also one of the main locations of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series. Many of the action scenes were recorded here.