Whale Rock Reservoir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whale Rock Reservoir
Whale Rock Reservoir Location in California Show map of California Whale Rock Reservoir Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	San Luis Obispo County, California
Coordinates	35°27′30″N 120°52′20″W / 35.45833°N 120.87222°W / 35.45833; -120.87222
Type	reservoir
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	20.6 sq mi (53 km²)
Surface elevation	150 feet (50 m)

Whale Rock Reservoir is a reservoir near Cayucos in San Luis Obispo County, California.

The reservoir was formed by the building of Whale Rock Dam on Old Creek by the Whale Rock Commission. It is a 193-foot (59 m) tall earthfill dam that was completed in 1961. The reservoir has a capacity of 40,662 acre-feet (50,156,000 m³). The watershed has an area of 20.6 square miles (53 km²). It provides drinking water for the city of San Luis Obispo, the California Men's Colony, Cal Poly, and the Cayucos Area Water Organization. The water is brought to San Luis Obispo by the 17.6 mile (28 km) long, 30-inch (760 mm) diameter Whale Rock Conduit. There is an 800 kW hydroelectric plant at the end of the pipeline near Cal Poly.