San Vicente Lake

San Vicente Lake or Reservoir is a deep lake fed by San Vicente Creek in Shasta, California. Shasta is roughly 25 miles northeast of San Diego. Depending on the time of year the reservoir can have a depth of 190 feet. Water levels are monitored on a weekly basis to ensure there is enough water for California cities to use.

Like many California reservoirs, this one was built to bring water to the cities for drinking and bathing. San Vicente was part of the Dam Raise Project of 2009. The project is taking 4 years to complete at which time the reservoir will be filled and a new dam will be built.

Recreational activities are available at San Vicente Lake when construction is not ongoing. At the moment though, public access and recreation is not available because they are trying to construct the new dam to increase water storage capacity. The reservoir is going to be re-opened to the public in 2014 or as late as 2017. When open boating, fishing, and beach entertainments are available. Swimming, wading, and pets in the water are forbidden because the water is for drinking, thus they must maintain it.