|
Salinas Reservoir |
|
The Salinas Dam was built in 1941 by the War Department to supply water
to Camp San Luis Obispo and, secondarily, to meet the water needs of the
City. The Salinas Reservoir (Santa Margarita Lake) captures water from a
112 square mile watershed and can currently store up to 23,843
acre-feet.
In 1947, the Salinas Dam and delivery system was transferred from the
regular Army to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Since 1965, the San
Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District has
operated this water supply for the City under a lease from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Water from the reservoir is pumped
through the Cuesta Tunnel (a one mile long tunnel through the mountains of the Cuesta
Ridge) and then flows by gravity to the City’s Water Treatment Plant on Stenner Creek
Road.
The City has water rights to store up
to 45,000 acre feet. The original design of the dam included a gate in the spillway to
increase the storage capacity. The City is presently working on the Salinas Reservoir
Expansion Project which proposes to install a new operable gate in the spillway.
|
|
Whale Rock Reservoir |
|
The Whale Rock Reservoir is a 40,662 acre foot reservoir created by the construction an
earthen dam on Old Creek near the town of Cayucos. The dam was designed and constructed by
the State Department of Water Resources in 1961 to provide water to the City of San Luis
Obispo, Cal Poly State University and California Men’s Colony. The Whale Rock Dam
captures water from a 20.6 square mile watershed and water is delivered to the three
agencies through 17.6 miles of 30-inch pipeline and two pumping stations.
|
|
Ground Water |
|
Three wells currently supply water for domestic use. Two wells supply water for irrigating
the City golf course, and one well at the Corporation Yard is used for construction
purposes. The three domestic wells are producing approximately 20 acre feet per month
which is approximately 4% of the total City water use. The groundwater basin is relatively
small and recharges very quickly following normal rainfall periods, but it also lowers
relatively quickly following the end of the rainy season. In 1996, the groundwater wells
provided only 365 acre feet of water. Extensive use of groundwater sustained the City
through the drought of 1986-1991. However the City’s two largest producing wells, the
Auto Parkway and Denny’s wells, were shut down when elevated nitrate levels were
detected. This loss meant the City could not rely on groundwater for future drought
protection.
|
|
Recreation at the Reservoirs |
|
 Recreation facilities at Santa Margarita Lake are operated by the County of San Luis
Obispo as a County Park and provide opportunities for boating, fishing,
picnicking and
camping. An entrance fee of $5.00 entitles access to the park with an additional fee of
$4.00 for motor boats or $2.00 for canoes and kayaks. No body contact (swimming,
waterskiing, etc.) is allowed in the lake because it is a domestic water supply reservoir.
For more information call (805) 438-5485.
Whale Rock Reservoir has limited access
to the south shore for hiking and fishing from the shore. A daily fee of $1.00 for hiking
or $2.00 for fishing per person is collected to partially recover the costs of patrolling
these areas. The fish population includes steelhead, catfish, blue gill, and Sacramento
suckers. Access to the Whale Rock Reservoir shoreline for fishing
begins the last Saturday in April and extends through November 15th.
|
|
