Lake Del Valle is a storage reservoir located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Livermore, in Alameda County, California. It is within Del Valle Regional Park.

Lake Del Valle
Lake Del Valle
Location of Lake Del Valle in California, USA.
Location of Lake Del Valle in California, USA.
Lake Del Valle
Location of Lake Del Valle in California, USA.
Location of Lake Del Valle in California, USA.
Lake Del Valle
LocationAlameda County, California
Coordinates37°35′54″N 121°43′16″W / 37.59833°N 121.72111°W / 37.59833; -121.72111
Typereservoir
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length5 miles (8.0 km)[1]
Surface area708 acres (287 ha)[1]
Max. depth153 feet (47 m)[1]
Water volume77,100 acre-feet (95,100,000 m3)[1]
Shore length116 miles (26 km) [1]
SettlementsLivermore, California
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake description

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Aerial view of Lake Del Valle and Del Valle Regional Park, with Livermore and Mount Diablo in the distance

The lake is on Arroyo Valle (Spanish for "creek of the valley") in the Diablo Range, and is formed by Del Valle Dam, completed in 1968 (56 years ago) (1968).[2]

The lake and dam are part of the California State Water Project, as part of the South Bay Aqueduct. The lake serves in part as off-stream storage for the South Bay Aqueduct. The capacity of the lake is 77,000 acre-feet (95,000,000 m3), however, the lake has a flood storage of 25,000 to 40,000 acre-feet (31,000,000 to 49,000,000 m3). Thus normally stores 37,000 to 52,000 acre-feet (46,000,000 to 64,000,000 m3). The lake is a popular destination for hikers, bikers, and boaters.

The Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct passes below the lake, but does not connect to it.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment issued a fishing advisory regarding the mercury levels of fish caught from the body of water.[3]

Dam description

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The dam is 230 feet (70 m) high and 880 feet (270 m) long. Its crest elevation is 773 feet (236 m). The dam contains 4,150,000 cubic yards (3,170,000 m3) of earth fill.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Del Valle Reservoir." Zone 7 Water Agency. Undated. Accessed April 15, 2017.
  2. ^ "Dams Within the Jurisdiction of the State of California (A-G)" (PDF). California Department of Water Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  3. ^ Admin, OEHHA (2014-12-30). "Lake Del Valle". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
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