Advertisement
California

San Gabriel Mountain dams brace for a deluge

San Gabriel Dam operator Herbert Romero pilots an inspection boat through the San Gabriel Reservoir near Azuza. The more than 121-foot-high "bathtub ring" around the reservoir's edge reveals how far the water level has dropped from when it was full in 2005.

San Gabriel Dam operator Herbert Romero pilots an inspection boat through the San Gabriel Reservoir near Azuza. The more than 121-foot-high “bathtub ring” around the reservoir’s edge reveals how far the water level has dropped from when it was full in 2005.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Share

The reservoirs behind 14 major dams that line the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains -- nearly empty after two years of punishing drought-- could rise significantly from the forecasted deluge over the next three days, public works officials said.
Read story

"Bathtub ring"

Romero and his assistant, Jose Aguilar, cruise along the base of the “bathtub ring” that encircles the San Gabriel Reservoir, which is at its lowest level in nine years.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Receding water

Looking toward the San Gabriel River from East Fork Road north of Azuza, the San Gabriel Reservoir can be seen in the distance, where it has receded more than a mile. Southern California’s driest rainy season in history has reduced much of the lake to a sandy expanse.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Morris Dam

The white line across Morris Dam on the San Gabriel River near Azuza shows just how far the water level has dropped during the recent period of below-normal rainfall.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Gauging the depth

From an inspection boat, San Gabriel Dam operators Herbert Romero, right, and Jose Aguilar use a measuring tape to determine the depth of San Gabriel Reservoir near the dam: 50 feet.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Releasing water

Adam Walden, right, senior civil engineer with Los Angeles County’s public works department, stands above an open valve on Morris Dam near Azusa. Some water is being released into the San Gabriel River for use downstream. “I’ve never seen it this low,” said dam operator Jim McGowan.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

California

More From the Los Angeles Times

Advertisement