Lake Eleanor (National ID # CA00737), also known as Banning Dam, is an freshwater lake (

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...

) near

Westlake Village Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County, California, on its western border with Ventura County. Upon its incorporation in 1981, Westlake Village became the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks We ...

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

. The lake lies within the Lake Eleanor Open Space and was Ventura County Historic Landmark No. 120 in 1988. It is also designated City of Thousand Oaks Historical Landmark No. 9. Under ownership of

Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) is the park management agency for most of the parks in the Conejo Valley, California. Established in 1962, CRPD later established Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) in 1977 through a joint e ...

(COSCA), the lake sits in a gorge with sheer cliffs and drops of . An artificial lake, it was first constructed in 1889, and may be the first concrete arched dam built in California. Although not a major dam, Banning Dam is among the oldest still standing in the state. Nearby

Sherwood Dam Sherwood Dam, known also as Lake Sherwood Dam, Alturas Dam, and Potrero Dam, is a concrete arch dam in the Santa Monica Mountains near Thousand Oaks, California. Completed in 1904, its construction led to the creation of the Potrero Lake (since ...

dates from . It is less than east of Lake Sherwood. The structure is located within the Lake Eleanor Open Space. At 37 feet high, and 140 feet long at its crest, the dam is owned by the local Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency.

Etymology

Named for its builder, "Captain" William Banning, it impounds Eleanor Creek to form the recreational Lake Eleanor.

History

Lake Eleanor was originally constructed as a reliable water source for cattle in the 1880s. Work on the dam began in 1881 and was completed in 1889. Officials drained the reservoir in 1972 arguing it was a hazard, however, hundreds of frogs died and wildlife was consequentially moved to Triunfo Creek after the drainage. The lake was acquired by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) in 1986, and was designated Ventura County Historic Landmark No. 120 in May 1988. It was later designated City of Thousand Oaks Historical Landmark No. 9.

Ecology

Lake Eleanor Open Space makes up diverse wildlife habitats and landscapes such as rugged hills, rocky outcrops, marsh habitat,

coastal sage scrub Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is ...

, and native oak woodland. The area supports several endangered and rare species of plants and nesting sites for

hawks Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and othe ...

and other avifauna. Due to its sensitive resources and also the rugged terrain, there is only one trail developed in the open space, which follows the ridge east of Westlake Boulevard, accessed from Denver Springs Drive in Westlake Village, California. Another trailhead is located at Highgate Road in Thousand Oaks, California. The 8-acre lake and its surrounding 529 acres of open space are fenced off from the public, in order to create habitat for wildlife species such as the

Great Blue Heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...

Recreation

Due to sensitive resources and rough terrain, trails have not been developed in the area. One trail has however been developed following the ridgeline east of Westlake Boulevard. This trail provides views of two additional bodies of water:

Westlake Lake Westlake Lake is a private with of shoreline in the Conejo Valley in Southern California. The boundary between the cities of Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, locat ...

and Las Virgenes Reservoir. The trail, which starts and begins in neighborhoods, can be reached from its trailheads at Highgate Road and Denver Springs Drive. Besides mountain and lake views, the ridgeline trail also offers views of the

Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle del Conejo'', meaning "Valley of the Rabbit") is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County, California, Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles C ...

and the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...

. A variety of highpoints can be found along the trail, which has a total elevation gain of 500 ft.Riedel, Allen (2011). ''Best Easy Day Hikes Conejo Valley''. Rowman & Littlefield. Pages 64-65. .

References

{{Thousand Oaks, California Dams in California Gravity dams Buildings and structures in Ventura County, California Santa Monica Mountains Dams completed in 1889 United States privately owned dams 1889 establishments in California

Etymology

History

Ecology

Recreation

See also

References