Lake Perris will shrink during dam inspection
LAKE PERRIS is about to shrink by 20% as concerns mount over whether the dam can withstand a big earthquake.
Authorities started draining the 2,300-acre reservoir Monday, and by mid-October the water level will have dropped by 25 feet. The lake, 11 miles southeast of Riverside, attracts 1.1 million annual visitors, many of whom come to fish or splash.
As engineers inspect the earthen dam, boat speeds will be reduced in areas, one of the four launch ramps will close and the number of vessels allowed will be cut by 44%, to 250.
The state Department of Water Resources discovered potential liquefaction zones beneath the 2-mile-long dam. Liquefaction occurs when soggy soil turns to slurry in heavy shaking.
“When those areas lose their strength in a major earthquake, the dam that’s sitting on top of them would slump,” says DWR spokeswoman Susan Sims.
Sims says there is no imminent danger. Officials do not know how long it will take to complete the work and refill the lake.
-- Scott Doggett
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