| Lake Hemet | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Lake Hemet  Lake Hemet | |
| Location | Mountain Center,Riverside County, California[1] |
| Coordinates | 33°39′58″N116°41′35″W / 33.66611°N 116.69306°W /33.66611; -116.69306 |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | San Jacinto River |
| Primary outflows | San Jacinto River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 470 acres (190 ha)[2] |
| Water volume | 14,000 acre-feet (17,000,000 m3)[2] |
| Shore length1 | 12 mi (19 km) |
| Surface elevation | 4,340 ft (1,323 m) |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Hemet is a water storagereservoir located in theSan Jacinto Mountains inMountain Center,Riverside County, California,[1] with a capacity of 14,000 acre-feet (17,000,000 m3)[2] of water. It was created in 1895 with the construction ofLake Hemet Dam.[3] Originally built by a private company, today it is owned and operated by the Lake Hemet Municipal Water District (LHMWD).
Lake Hemet is anartificial 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 470 acres (190 ha)[2] 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 ofHemet andSan Jacinto, and to the isolated but growing 4,500-foot (1,400 m) highGarner Valley, a community located on San Jacinto Mountain.
LHMWD's customers are represented by a publicly elected board of five directors in 5 divisions. They represent approximately 13,800 domestic and 51 agricultural customers within a 26-square mile (67 km²) service area.
Service connections
Length of Lake Hemet Municipal Water District Pipeline
It is 13 miles (23 km) SW ofPalm Springs, California, United States.
Development of theSan 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 theLake Hemet Dam on January 6, 1891. When this arched masonry structure was completed in 1895 at a height of 122.5 feet (37.3 m), it was the largest solid masonry dam in the world—a title it would retain until the construction ofRoosevelt Dam in Arizona in 1911. In 1923, the Hemet dam was raised to a height of 135 feet (41 m).
The 1932 opening of thePines to Palms Highway (SR 74) from the coast toPalm Desert was significant in developing Lake Hemet for increased recreational uses.[4]
LHMWD was founded on September 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.
Shots of the lake were used in the 1980s CBS television showAirwolf, in which recurring character Stringfellow Hawke lived in a cabin on the lake.
The lake was featured inVisiting... withHuell Howser Episode 923.[5]
Media related toLake Hemet at Wikimedia Commons