- Lake Hemet
Infobox lake
lake_name = Lake Hemet
image_lake = Lake_Hemet_1.jpg
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location =Riverside County, California
coords = coord|33|40|00|N|116|41|40|W|region:US_type:waterbody|display=inline,title
type =reservoir
inflow = San Jacinto River
outflow = San Jacinto River
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length =
width =
area = 1.7 km²
depth =
max-depth =
volume = 1 km³
residence_time =
shore = 19 km
elevation = 1,323 m
islands =
cities = Lake Hemet is a water storage reservoir located in theSan Jacinto Mountains inRiverside County, California , with a capacity of 260 billion US gallons (8,100 acre-feet, 1 km³) of water. It was created in 1895 with the construction of theHemet Dam , and is owned and operated by theLake Hemet Municipal Water District (LHMWD).Geography
13 miles (23 km) SW of Palm Springs, California, United States
Facts and statistics
Lake Hemet is an
artificial lake in theSan Jacinto Mountains , 4,340 ft (1,323 m) above sea level. Lake Hemet is part of theSan Bernardino National Forest . Lake Hemet has a surface area of 420 acres (1.7 km²) of water and 12 miles (19 km) of shoreline. Fishing is the primary attraction to the lake, which is stocked withrainbow trout ,channel catfish ,bluegill andLargemouth bass . Other Lake Hemet activities include boating, picnicking, hiking, and camping in the surrounding areas.LHMWD provides water from Lake Hemet to a geographically diverse service area in Riverside County, including portions of the cities of
Hemet andSan Jacinto , and to the isolated but growing convert|4500|ft|m|sing=on high San Jacinto Mountain community ofGarner Valley .LHMWD's customers are represented by a publicly-elected board of five directors in 5 divisions, representing approximately 13,800 domestic and 51 agricultural customers within a 26-square mile (67 km²) service area.
Service connections
*1,800 in 1955
*1,873 in 1957
*2,623 in 1962
*3,747 in 1967
*5,000 in 1972
*6,850 in 1977
*13,636 in 2003
*13,960 in 2004 Length of Lake Hemet Municipal Water District Pipeline
*30.8 miles (49.6 km) in 1957
*53.59 miles (86.7 km) in 1962
*78.29 miles (127.6 km) in 1967
*96.82 miles (155.8 km) in 1972
*127 miles (204 km) in 1977
*136 miles (219 km) in 2003
*139 miles (224 km) in 2004History
Development of the
San Jacinto Valley can be traced to 1887, with the formation of the Lake Hemet Water Company and the Hemet Land Company byEdward L. Mayberry , his wealthy San Francisco friend,William F. Whittier , and their partners. These two companies allowed the partnership to acquire land and water rights from theSan Jacinto Valley to the west end ofGarner Valley in theSan Jacinto Mountains .Lake Hemet Water Company placed the first stone of the Hemet Dam on January 6, 1891. When this arched masonry structure was completed in 1895 at a height of convert|122.5|ft|m, it was the largest solid masonry dam in the world--a title it would retain until the construction of
Roosevelt Dam in Arizona in 1911. In 1923, the Hemet dam was raised to a height of convert|135|ft|m.LHMWD was founded on Sept. 27, 1955 to take over the activities of the Lake Hemet Water Company, purchasing the Lake Hemet water system with funds raised through a bond initiative.
References
* [http://www.lakehemet.org/ Lake Hemet Municipal Water District]
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