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Home , Lake Cuyamaca, Lake Henshaw, Lake Hodges, Lake Jennings, Lake Murray (California), Lake Poway

Local Rainfall and

San Diego County Reservoirs

ORANGE COUNTY

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

RED MOUNTAIN COUNTY Fallbrook

76 DIVERSIFICATION MORRO HILL RESERVOIR Local Storage: Enhancing Water 15 TURNER LAKE A Vital Water Supply Reliability Vista Resource Oceanside 78 DIXON LAKE MAERKLE RESERVOIR LAKE WOHLFORD San Marcos SUTHERLAND Carlsbad San Diego Escondido RESERVOIR County’s semiarid OLIVENHAIN RESERVOIR climate means that SAN DIEGUITO Encinitas RESERVOIR 5 truly wet years are LAKE RAMONA few and far between, Solana Beach CUYAMACA and dry years are very 15 RESERVOIR Del Mar 56 Poway common. Since 1976, the EL CAPITAN amount of local surface RESERVOIR 805 Santee water used to help meet La Jolla 52 annual demand has been as 67 high as 140,300 acre-feet El Cajon 163 LOVELAND 8 RESERVOIR and as low as 4,071 acre- feet. Consequently, runoff from 5 San Diego 94 SWEETWATER RESERVOIR BARRETT LAKE Lemon local rainwater that flows into Coronado Grove reservoirs – commonly National City MORENA 54 RESERVOIR called surface water – Chula Vista AF = acre-foot represents a vital One acre-foot is but small portion of 905 approximately San Diego County’s Maerkle, Red Mountain and Morro Hill store 325,900 gallons, MEXICO treated water and do not capture local runoff. enough to supply water supply needs. 2.5 single-family Over the past 10 years, an Enhancing Water Storage households of four average of about 7 percent of the Today, the Water Authority and its mem- for a year. region’s total annual water supply ber agencies have 24 reservoirs that store im- came from local surface water. San ported and local runoff water for normal use, Diego County has not relied solely emergency conditions and imported water on its local water sources since 1947, when shortages. Combined water storage capacity imported water flowed through the region’s now totals approximately 723,000 acre-feet. first aqueduct, making water This is a 30 percent increase since 2003, available to fuel the region’s post-World created by the Water Authority’s $2 billion War II growth. Capital Improvement Program to improve the region’s water infrastructure.

The San Diego County Water Authority sustains a $245 billion regional economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents through a multi-decade water supply diversification plan, major infrastructure investments and forward-thinking policies that February 2020 promote fiscal and environmental responsibility. A public agency created in 1944, the Water Authority delivers wholesale water supplies to 24 retail water providers, including cities, special districts and a military base. Local Rainfall and Reservoirs

A crucial component of this Lindbergh Field: Actual vs. Normal Rainfall program is the $1.5 billion Emergency & Carryover Storage Inches Actual Rainfall Project, which created new emer- 14 Normal Rainfall gency water storage at the Oliv- enhain, Hodges and San Vicente 12 reservoirs. This new system ensures the region has up to a six-month 10 supply of water should an earth- 8 quake or other disaster disrupt imported water deliveries. 6 Why can’t we get more water from underground? Olivenhain and 4 Reservoir and Lake Hodges 2 Groundwater basins are The Olivenhain Reservoir, underground reserves of completed by the Water Author- 0 water that may take the ity in 2003, was the region’s first 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 form of a single aquifer or new major dam and reservoir a group of linked aquifers. in 50 years. The reservoir holds They are a major sup- Lake Henshaw: Actual vs. Normal Rainfall ply source in many parts 24,000 acre-feet of water and of Southern . is designed to withstand a major Inches Unfortunately, San Diego earthquake to keep water avail- 40 County’s geologic makeup able and flowing to the region. Actual Rainfall has relatively limited 35 Normal Rainfall groundwater assets to Improvements to Lake Hodges complement surface began in 2005 and were 30 water stored in reservoirs. completed in 2012. The proj- 25 ect connects Lake Hodges to the Olivenhain Reservoir and to the 20 Water Authority’s Second Aque- 15 duct, and makes spillovers from Lake Hodges during heavy storms 10 less likely. 5

San Vicente Dam Raise 0 The largest piece of the Emer- 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 gency Storage Project was rais- : Actual vs. Normal Rainfall ing the City of San Diego’s . The Water Authority project increased the height of Inches Actual Rainfall the dam by 117 feet – the largest 45 Normal Rainfall dam raise in U.S. history. Comple- 40 tion in 2014 added 52,100 35 acre-feet of emergency water 4677 Overland Ave. storage and more than 105,000 30 San Diego, California acre-feet of carryover storage to 25 92123-1233 collect water in wet periods for 20 858.522.6700 use in dry years. The San Vicente 15 Dam Raise produced the largest sdcwa.org increase in regional water storage 10 in San Diego County’s history. 5 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 @sdcwa

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