As a part of routine work to ensure the integrity of the Railroad Canyon Dam, surveyors will be inspecting the dam between October 5 and October 7. Residents may notice surveyors standing on the dam or accessing it by boat but should not be concerned. These annual inspections are one of many ways EVMWD protects public safety.
The construction of the dam began in 1927 and was completed two years later. While the dam’s original concrete structure remains in place, the configuration was altered in 1996 when EVMWD spent more than $9 million to improve its safety by widening and refurbishing the dam to withstand a 100-year flood event.
The Canyon Lake Reservoir is a critical part of the EVMWD water supply system. The reservoir can hold as much as 12,000 acre-feet or 3.9 billion gallons of water, which plays a critical role in meeting regional drinking water needs during periods of peak demand.
It is also a recreational lake, leased to about 4,800 members of the Canyon Lake POA. The POA manages the use of the lake for recreation but EVMWD owns all of the water and land rights within the footprint of the Canyon Lake Reservoir. This important local water supply helps ensure EVMWD can provide reliable drinking water to all 155,000 customers in its 97 square mile service area.
