Savage Dam

Savage Dam is a dam across the Otay River in the San Ysidro Mountains of southwestern San Diego County, California. It is a concrete arch gravity structure 149 feet (45 m) high,[1] and serves to store water from the San Diego Aqueduct's third pipeline for backup municipal uses in the San Diego metropolitan area. It is just over 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Chula Vista and 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the United States-Mexico border. The dam is named in honor of H. N. Savage, who directed its construction.[2]

Savage Dam
CountryUnited States
LocationSan Diego County, California
Coordinates32°36′38″N 116°55′29″W
StatusIn use
Construction began1916
Opening date1918
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete arch gravity
ImpoundsOtay River
Height149 feet (45 m)
Length750 feet (230 m)
Reservoir
CreatesLower Otay Reservoir
Total capacity49,510 acre feet (61,070,000 m3)
Catchment area101.2 square miles (262 km2)
Surface area1,090 acres (440 ha)
Power Station
Hydraulic head120 feet (37 m)

The dam was originally completed in 1897 as an earthfill and steel structure called the Otay Dam by the Southern California Mountain Water Company to provide water storage. However, in 1916, heavy rains supposedly brought on by Charles Hatfield, a "rainmaker", hired by the city of San Diego to put an end to a drought, caused the dam to burst. The failure sent a wall of water 40 feet (12 m) high downstream, destroying buildings and bridges, and washing thousands of tons of sediment and wreckage into San Diego Bay.[3] Eleven Japanese American farmers were killed.[4] The dam was rebuilt as Savage Dam in 1918, and has functioned properly since.[5]

See also
  • List of reservoirs and dams in California
  • Otay County Open Space Preserve

References
  1. "Savage, southeast California". FindLakes. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  2. Gudde, Erwin G.; Bright, William (2004). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. University of California Press. p. 352. ISBN 0-520-24217-3. Accessed 2011-01-28.
  3. "Dry Rivers, Dammed Rivers and Floods". The Journal of San Diego History. San Diego History Center. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  4. "Buddhism in San Diego". Buddhist Temple of San Diego. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  5. "City of San Diego Water History". General Information. City of San Diego. Archived from the original on 2010-08-03. Retrieved 2011-01-28.


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