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Project Description
Construction Schedule
Recreation at San Vicente Reservoir
San Vicente Reservoir High Watermark Map
San Vicente Dam Cross Section Diagram
Photographic Tour
Community Information Updates
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City Lakes and Recreation
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Preparing the Foundation


The first phase of construction for the San Vicente Dam Raise project is now well under way. Construction crews are using controlled blasts at the San Vicente site almost daily to excavate new roads and the foundations for the dam raise. The contractor is also removing pieces of concrete from the existing dam and demolishing the former marina. During this phase of the project, the contractor is likely to work some Saturdays to stay on schedule, but the Water Authority does not anticipate that this work will affect nearby residents.

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Project Description

The San Vicente Dam Raise is part of the Emergency Storage Project, a system of reservoirs, interconnected pipelines, and pumping stations designed to make water available to the San Diego region in the event of an interruption in imported water deliveries.

San Vicente Dam currently stands at 220 feet and can store up to 90,000 acre-feet of water. The dam raise project will increase the height of the dam by 117 feet – the tallest dam raise in the United States and the tallest of its type in the world. The raised dam will store an additional 152,000 acre-feet of water, more than doubling the capacity of the reservoir.

The environmental studies were completed in 2008.

San Vicente Dam Raise Fact Sheet pdf

Construction Schedule

Construction of the San Vicente Dam Raise project began in June 2009 and will take about four years. Construction will take place in multiple phases, as follows:

  • Foundation preparatory work: summer 2009 – summer 2010
  • Dam raise: spring 2010 – late 2012
  • Bypass pipeline: 2012
  • New marina construction: 2012
  • Site restoration: early 2013

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Recreation at San Vicente Reservoir

To assure public safety during construction, the reservoir is closed to boating, fishing, and all other water recreation. San Vicente Reservoir will reopen to recreation after construction sometime between 2014 and 2017, as soon as the water level reaches the boat launch ramp at the new marina. The amount of time needed to refill the reservoir will depend on water supply and demand.

The new marina will feature many new improvements once the reservoir is reopened. The Water Authority will improve the reservoir's access road, making it wider and less steep. The boat ramp will be expanded and extended, and the size of the parking area will be increased. Additional shade trees and picnic areas at the marina will provide more options for recreational visitors to the reservoir.

New Marina Rendering pdf

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San Vicente Reservoir High Watermark Map

Printable Version

San Vicente Dam Cross Section Diagram

cross section

Printable Version
pdf

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Photographic Tour

Click here to view a photographic tour that shows aspects of construction at the San Vicente Dam Raise.

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Community Information Updates

Community Meeting Summaries

City Lakes and Recreation

San Vicente Reservoir is owned and operated by the city of San Diego. For more information about other city reservoirs while San Vicente is closed, please visit the City Lakes and Recreation web page at: www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/index.shtml.

Contact Us

For more information about the San Diego County Water Authority’s Emergency Storage Project or the San Vicente Dam Raise, please call toll free (877) 426-2010 or email espinfo@sdcwa.org. A representative from the project team will return your call within one business day.