Morris Reservoir is located in the
San Gabriel Mountains, within the
Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the U.S. Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabriel Mountai ...
, in
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
It is impounded by
Morris Dam
Morris Dam (officially the Samuel B. Morris Dam) is a concrete gravity dam across the San Gabriel River in the U.S. state of California. It impounds Morris Reservoir, directly downstream of San Gabriel Dam.
The dam was built in the 1930s as a ...
, which was completed in 1935. Morris Dam is a gravity dam rising above the
San Gabriel River stream bed.
Geography
The reservoir is located alongside
California State Route 39, approximately north of the city of
Azusa. Morris Reservoir is just downstream from the
San Gabriel Dam. The mean water elevation is about , when the reservoir is at capacity.
Morris Reservoir Naval Weapons Test Site
The reservoir and its slopes were the Morris Reservoir Naval Weapons Test Site, a naval weapons test facility, from World War II through the 1990s.
The Center for Land Use Interpretation: Morris Reservoir Naval Weapons Test Site
— history . accessed 7.14.2014 The reservoir was transferred to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works in 1995.
The test facility was established by Caltech
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
, which was developing weapons for the Navy at its Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) at China Lake (town), near Ridgecrest, California
Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 395 in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS, or China Lake). It was incorporated as a ...
. It today is now known as the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, and is still the primary proving ground for naval weapons systems. Because China Lake is a dry lake in the Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...
, Caltech opened this substation at the Morris Reservoir, near their campus, north of Azusa in the San Gabriel Mountains.
This site was used especially for the development of submarine-based warfare systems, including torpedoes, bombs, and submarine-launched missiles like the Polaris rocket, the first ballistic missile that could be launched from submerged submarines.
Most of the buildings at the site have been removed, and the site is being restored to a "natural" state, and may once again be open to the public.
See also
* Reservoirs in Los Angeles County, California
* List of lakes in California
References
External links
*
The Caltech Archives: Morris Dam reservoir, San Gabriel Mountains
Morris Dam Water Supply Enhancement Project
Final Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration
Morris Dam valve leakage photo
Morris Dam data
Reservoirs in Los Angeles County, California
San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel River (California)
Angeles National Forest
Azusa, California
Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
1935 establishments in California
Systems command installations of the United States Navy
Military facilities in Greater Los Angeles
1940s establishments in California
1990s disestablishments in California
Historic American Engineering Record in California
Reservoirs in California
Reservoirs in Southern California
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