Diamond Valley back to being a jewel of a lake

Two years ago, the amount of water in the massive Diamond Valley Lake was … well, not so massive.

Able to hold 810,000 acre-feet of water, an extended drought had dropped storage at the reservoir near Hemet to 299,638 acre-feet in March 2016 — and it was that high due to conservation efforts.

The water level dropped so low, private fishing boats were banned for 13 months. Even after extending the marina’s long boat ramp, it ended at dirt, not water. Islands and rock piles began popping out of the lake’s surface.

Today, the drought is nearly over, and so are most of Diamond Valley’s woes. There is now 715,300 acre-feet of water in the enclosure — nearly 90 percent of capacity — and the facility is still getting limited deliveries of water from Northern California. And on Wednesday morning, July 12, anglers couldn’t wait to get out on the lake.

“This is our favorite lake,” said Tim Montgomery of Hemet, before launching his boat.

The retiree said he visits the lake at least one per week.

“If the fishing is real good, I’ll bring the family out,” he said.

Mother Nature is the one to thank, as winter rains erased most of California’s water shortage, meaning Metropolitan Water District, which operates the reservoir south of Hemet, has not had to take water out to serve its more than 19 million customers in Southern California.

MWD spokesman Bob Muir said the Inland Feeder Project — a 44-mile stretch of tunnels and pipelines that carry State Water Project supplies into Diamond Valley Lake — is why it was refilled so quickly.

“It allows us to move large volumes of water in a short period of time,” he said.

Muir said if there is another wet winter, water will be “banked” for future uses, allowing water districts to save their ground water by tapping into reservoirs.

“We’re looking to put more water in storage than any given year,” he said.

And more water has translated into bigger fish, lake users said.

“The fishing is good right now, really good,” said Tammy Toral, general manager at Diamond Valley Lake Marina. “Some big bass are coming up.”

Perhaps the most noticeable difference is at the launch ramp. With the water level so high, what was once a long, steep walk from the pier to the parking lot is now just a couple hundred feet.

The shorter walk has attracted more shoreline fishers, Toral said, since the hike back and forth is not as taxing.

Southern California’s largest drinking water reservoir was built to store emergency water for MWD. The reservoir is still receiving water for future needs after being drawn down during the first four years of the drought, falling below 50 percent of capacity.

At its lowest, levels dropped below the edge of the launch ramp, shuttering it from April 2015 to May 2016. Only rental boats, which could be tied to the pier, and canoes and kayaks were allowed.

During that time, Metropolitan extended the middle three lanes of the launch ramp by 50 feet to 790 feet.

The water has well exceeded that and now sleek fishing boats float next to rental pontoons and motorboats in what is considered one of the best fishing lakes in the region.

The shoreline fishing brought Michael Pablo of Temecula and five friends and family members to the lake for the first time Wednesday.

They came to Diamond Valley because they said it would have cost more than $50 for the group to fish at nearby Lake Skinner.

And they didn’t let a little misfortune stop them. They were carrying poles with price tags still hanging off them.

“We had our fishing poles stolen this morning, so we went to Walmart and bought these,” Pablo said.

Pablo said the group was “expecting to catch a good number of fish.”

About the only thing keeping people off the lake now is heat. High temperatures were expected to peak in the mid-90s Wednesday — warm, but 10 or more degrees cooler than last week.

“When it cracks 100, it’s a little rough out there,” Montgomery said.

Visitor numbers have soared at the lake, Muir said. There were 46,367 visitors between July 2016 and June 2017, compared to 18,000 the previous 12 months, during which time fishing was limited.

And it’s not just fishers who are visiting. A strong wildflower bloom in the spring brought hordes of people to the trails surrounding the lake.

“All of the activities at the lake have more than doubled this year,” Muir said.

The marina features a small store, and improvements are on the way. Additional electricity in the marina area is expected to be active by September and a permanent restroom facility is planned to be complete by October, replacing porta potties.

There could be some movement outside of the lake, as well. A consortium of public agencies is working together to enhance recreational activities.

Among the suggestions are ways to make the lake more accessible at night by perhaps offering evening dinner cruises to attract more visitors.

“So many people live in Hemet and don’t know we’re here,” Toral said.

DIAMOND VALLEY LAKE

What: Diamond Valley Lake is Southern California’s largest drinking-water storage reservoir.

Capacity: 810,000 acre-feet, or nearly 264 billion gallons of water

Area: 4,500 surface acres; 4.5 miles long, more than 2 miles wide

Depth: 150-250 feet

Construction: Began September 1995; completed December 1999; dedicated March 18, 2000
Recreation: Multiuse trails; 21.8 miles of shoreline; fishing; canoeing; kayaking

Amenities: Marina with store that sells bait, fishing supplies and light refreshments; 50-boat rental fleet; 3 miles of shoreline fishing; Visitors Center; Western Science Center

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