Olivenhain Dam is a gravity

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

near

Escondido, California Escondido (Spanish language, Spanish for "Hidden") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County (San Diego area), North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San ...

, United States. The dam was constructed between 1998 and 2003 as part of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

's Emergency Storage Project with the primary purpose of

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

for municipal use. It does not sit on a river or stream but is supplied with water by a system of pumps and pipes. The dam is connected to

Lake Hodges Lake Hodges is a lake and reservoir in San Diego, California. It is about north of downtown San Diego, just north of the Rancho Bernardo community, and just south of the city's border with Escondido. When full, the reservoir covers , has a max ...

and the Second San Diego Aqueduct. It is constructed of

roller-compacted concrete Roller-compacted concrete (RCC) or rolled concrete (rollcrete) is a special blend of concrete that has essentially the same ingredients as conventional concrete but in different ratios, and increasingly with partial substitution of fly ash for po ...

and is the first of its type in California.

Construction

Ladd Associates excavated the dam's foundation and removed of material on an $8.4 million contract. Construction on the actual dam began in 2000 by Kiewit Pacific and in 2001, Morrison Knudsen Corp received a $23 million contract to install the pipeline. Concrete was poured into the dam in lifts and it was "topped off" on October 31, 2002. The entire structure to include the inlet/

outlet works A gatehouse, gate house, outlet works or valve house for a dam is a structure housing sluice gates, valves, or pumps (in which case it is more accurately called a pumping station). Many gatehouses are strictly utilitarian, but especially in the ni ...

, crest roadway and mechanical work was complete in August 2003. A park was also constructed around the dam and reservoir site. The dam was designed by JV Parsons Engineering Science Inc and Harza Engineering Co. while being owned by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Olivenhain Municipal Water District. The Olivehain Municipal Water District operates the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve around the reservoir. OlivenhainResByPhilKonstantin

References

External links

San Diego County Water Authority - Olivenhain DamSan Diego County Water Authority - Emergency Storage ProjectElfin Forest Recreational Reserve
{{San Diego County dams Dams in California Buildings and structures in San Diego County, California Gravity dams United States local public utility dams Dams completed in 2003 Roller-compacted concrete dams 2003 establishments in California

Construction

See also

References

External links