Sweetwater Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sweetwater Reservoir |
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 Sweetwater Reservoir
Location in California
Sweetwater Reservoir
Location in the United States
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| Location | San Diego County, California |
| Coordinates | 32°41′49″N 116°59′14″W / 32.69694°N 116.98722°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Sweetwater River |
| Primary outflows | Sweetwater River |
| Catchment area | 182 square miles (470 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Built | April 7, 1888 |
| Max. length | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
| Max. width | 0.75 miles (1.21 km) |
| Surface area | 936 acres (379 ha) |
| Max. depth | 108 feet (33 m) |
| Water volume | 27,689 acre-feet (34,154,000 m3) |
| Frozen | Never |
| Islands | none |
| Settlements | La Presa |
Imagine a big, human-made lake in sunny San Diego County, California! That's the Sweetwater Reservoir. It's like a giant bathtub, covering about 960 acres. This reservoir was created by building a special wall called the Sweetwater Dam across the Sweetwater River. The dam was finished way back in 1888.
What is Sweetwater Reservoir?
The Sweetwater Reservoir is an artificial lake. This means it's not a natural lake, but one that people built. It helps store water for nearby communities. The lake is about 2 miles long and 0.75 miles wide. It can hold a lot of water, up to 27,689 acre-feet! An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land with water one foot deep. The deepest part of the reservoir is about 108 feet.
Nature Around the Reservoir
The land around the Sweetwater Reservoir is a special place for many animals and plants. It's like their home! Two important bird species that live here are the least Bell's vireo and the California gnatcatcher. These birds are protected, so it's important to keep their habitat safe.
The reservoir is also close to several towns. These include Bonita, La Presa, and Spring Valley.
How Water Flows In and Out
The Sweetwater Reservoir is part of a larger drainage basin. Think of a drainage basin as a big bowl where all the rainwater collects and flows into a river or lake. The Sweetwater River flows into the reservoir, bringing fresh water. Then, the same Sweetwater River also flows out of the reservoir.
The drainage basin for Sweetwater Reservoir, along with another nearby lake called Loveland Reservoir, covers a large area of about 230 square miles. This means a lot of land collects water that eventually makes its way to these reservoirs.
