Lake Mathews
| Lake Mathews | ||
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| Geographical location | Riverside County , California , USA | |
| Tributaries | Colorado River Aqueduct | |
| Drain | Pipelines to the Greater Los Angeles Area | |
| Islands | several small islands; Number depending on the water level | |
| Location close to the shore | Riverside , Corona | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 33 ° 50 '31 " N , 117 ° 26' 27" W | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 423 m | |
| length | 6.4 km | |
| width | 3.2 km | |
| volume | 0.224 km³ | |
| scope | approx. 22.5 km | |
| Middle deep | 46 m | |
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particularities |
Reservoir |
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The Lake Mathews is a large reservoir in Riverside County in the US state of California . The lake is located in the Cajalco Valley and is part of the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains . The Colorado River Aqueduct flows into Lake Mathews .
The reservoir was created by building a dam at the northern end of the basin. Two smaller dams in the form of dykes were built in 1961 as part of the expansion of the lake to increase the water volume.
geography
Lake Mathews is part of a community-free area in Riverside County , California . It is located southeast of Lake Hills, a district of Riverside and northwest of the census-designated place Lake Mathews . The reservoir is surrounded by several roads that are often used by commuters as shortcuts between Interstate 15 and Interstate 215 or California State Route 91 .
Lake Mathews is fed by the Colorado River Aqueduct , and the water of the Colorado River is transported here from Lake Havasu . The aqueduct is one of the most important sources of water for Southern California .
history
Originally called the Cajalco Reservoir , it was later named after WB Mathews, a lawyer who was a key figure in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California , the largest drinking water supplier in the United States . Construction of the lake began in 1933, and the Colorado River Aqueduct was built at the same time . The selected land had previously been used for tin mines and as a cultivation area for carob trees. Lawrence Holmes, Sr., owned 1,100 hectares of land in the future lake area. After a long legal battle, he had to give up his lands.
In 1939 the dam and the inlet structure were completed. The first water from the Colorado River arrived via the aqueduct in February 1940; deliveries began in 1941. The capacity of Lake Mathews was almost doubled in 1961 to its current capacity of 240,000,000 m³.
In the mid-2000s, a major project was undertaken to renovate the old exit tower and at the same time to build a new one, which should alternate in the future. The reason for the renovations was the susceptibility to earthquakes , because many of the gigantic valves had become unusable over time. A coffer dam was built so that the work could not have a negative impact on the water supply . The new tower was finally connected to the existing waterworks with huge concrete tunnels .
nature
Lake Mathews is surrounded by approximately 4,000 acres of protected land. In 1982 it was declared a state nature reserve. After the discovery of the endangered Stephens kangaroo rat ( Dipodomys stephensi ) in the area around the reservoir, an additional 9,000 hectares were added in the early 1990s. Officially, the reserve is now called Lake Mathews Estelle Mountain Reserve .
Especially in the winter months, Lake Mathews is an important resting and feeding place for birds. In addition to a large number of ducks , the reserve is used in winter by shags ( Phalacrocorax auritus ), racing divers ( Aechmophorus occidentalis ), golden eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos ) and bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ).
Impact on the Santa Ana River
Lake Mathews was built in a basin that Cajalco Creek had previously flowed through, so today the water of the creek flows into the reservoir. The Cajalco Creek is a tributary to the Santa Ana River . In 2003, the California State Water Resources Control Board determined that the flooding of Cajalco Creek by the operator of the reservoir, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California , was in violation of state water law. In an out-of-court settlement, the company undertook to control the amount of water entering the reservoir from Cajalco Creek. In addition, US $ 50,000 in damages was paid. The money was used to remove the eerie pile pipe ( Arundo Donax ) from the course of the Santa Ana River.
Controversy over its use as a recreation area
Since its inauguration in 1940, Lake Mathews has been closed and closed to the public, presumably to preserve water quality. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is very concerned about the protection of water and banned sports with direct contact with the water, such as swimming in Lake Mathews, but also in other nearby reservoirs such as the Skinner Reservoir and Diamond Valley Lake , which are at least accessible as recreational areas are. However, the water from Lake Mathews flows directly into pipelines that supply 8.2 million people with water through agencies, which is why maintaining cleanliness is of the utmost importance. Proponents of its use as a recreational area counter that the water quality could not be significantly impaired by opening the reservoir to the public.
Another argument of the opponents of the use as a recreation area is that the sage growing in the protected area around the lake should be preserved.
Since its inception, many attempts have been made to make Lake Mathews accessible for various purposes; so far, however, all have failed. One of the most interesting was a request to shoot the film Fair Wind to Java in 1952 . Among other things, it was planned to install a smoking volcano on one of the islands in Lake Mathews. After the proposal was rejected, the scenes had to be shot in the studio.
In 1960 the Riverside County Board of Supervisors launched a campaign aimed at using the lake for recreational purposes, but ultimately failed.
On February 14, 2012, California State Assembly MP Kevin Jeffries presented a bill that would have limited Lake Mathews open as a recreational area, similar to other reservoirs in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The minimum requirement was to open the protected area for hiking. The draft was withdrawn on March 20, 2012 after it was determined that it would have required lengthy and expensive legal battles with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to pass the bill.