Silverwood Lake is a large

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...

, United States, located on the

West Fork Mojave River West Fork Mojave River is a tributary stream of the Mojave River in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California. Its mouth lies at an elevation of 2,986 feet / 910 meters at its confluence with Deep Creek, together the sour ...

, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

Mojave River The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, ...

in the San Bernardino Mountains. It was created in 1971 as part of the State Water Project by the construction of the Cedar Springs Dam as a forebay on the long

California Aqueduct The Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern and Central California to Southern California. Named after Califo ...

(consequently inundating the former town of Cedar Springs), and has a capacity of .

Specifications

Silverwood Lake is located on the East Branch of the

. It is operated by the

California Department of Water Resources The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is part of the California Natural Resources Agency and is responsible for the management and regulation of the State of California's water usage. The department was created in 1956 by Governor G ...

and provides a major water source for agencies serving nearby San Bernardino Mountain and

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 ...

areas. Some of recreation land surround the lake. At an elevation of , Silverwood Lake is the highest reservoir in the State Water Project.

Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area

The Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area is one of many California State Parks features picnicking, hiking trails, swimming beaches, and designated areas for boating, water-skiing and fishing. The

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

, "the jewel in the crown of America's scenic trails" spanning from Mexico to Canada through three western states, passes through the Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, with trailheads for short or long hikes. A 2009 California Water Board study found significantly elevated levels of toxic poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBS) and mercury levels in largemouth bass at Silverwood Reservoir. This has prompted local media to express concerns over the large number of anglers keeping and eating fish from this popular Inland Empire lake. The

California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, commonly referred to as OEHHA (pronounced oh-EEE-ha), is a specialized department within the cabinet-level California Environmental Protection Agency ( CalEPA) with responsibility for evaluatin ...

(OEHHA) has developed a safe eating advisory for fish caught in the lake based on levels of mercury or

PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...

found in local species.

References

External links

*
Official Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area website

Pacific Crest Trail Association website
{{authority control California State Water Project Reservoirs in San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino Mountains Mojave River California State Recreation Areas Parks in San Bernardino County, California Dams in California California Department of Water Resources dams Reservoirs in California Reservoirs in Southern California 1971 establishments in California

Specifications

Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area

See also

References

External links