Recent storms cause dam to overflow

Canyon Lake Dam. Photo by Dana Buckley

Recent storms have boosted the level of Canyon Lake, causing the water to flow over the dam. It was a welcome sight for Canyon Lake residents.

Canyon Lake holds approximately 12,000 acre-feet of water. The spillway elevation is 1381.76 feet above sea level. When the lake level exceeds that amount, water gushes over the spillway into the San Jacinto River channel and flows to Lake Elsinore. Heavy rainfall in December 2016 caused the water to spill over the dam, which had not occurred in many years.

The construction of the dam began in 1927 and was completed two years later. While the dam’s original concrete structure remains in place, the configuration was altered in 1996 when EVMWD spent more than $9 million to improve its safety by widening and refurbishing the dam to withstand a 100-year flood event.




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