Lake Casitas is an artificial lake

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 in the Los Padres National Forest

Los Padres National Forest

Los Padres National Forest is a forest located in southern and central California, which includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland...

 of Ventura County, California

Ventura County, California

Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...

, created by the construction of Casitas Dam

Casitas Dam

Casitas Dam is an earthfill dam across Coyote Creek that forms Lake Casitas in the Los Padres National Forest of Ventura County, California near Ojai, California. The dam is located two miles above the junction of Coyote Creek and the Ventura River. Water from the Ventura River is diverted to Lake...

 on Coyote Creek

Coyote Creek (Ventura County)

Coyote Creek is a stream in Ventura County, California, United States which feeds Lake Casitas. It is a major tributary of the Ventura River....

, two miles (3 km) before it joins the Ventura River

Ventura River

The Ventura River is a river in Ventura County, California. The river forms at the confluence of Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija Creek, upstream from the Pacific Ocean...

. Santa Ana Creek and North Fork Coyote Creek also flow into the lake. The dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 was constructed of earth-fill and was completed in 1959. It is 279 ft (85 m) and was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation

United States Bureau of Reclamation

The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...

. The lake has a capacity of 254000 acre.ft. The dam was built as part of the Ventura River Project. The project provides drinking water

Drinking water

Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...

 and water for irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

. A secondary benefit is flood

Flood

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...

 control. In the centre of Lake Casitas is 2 km Main Island, whose peak rises more than 500 feet (152.4 m) from the lake surface.

Human contact with the water is prohibited since it is used for drinking water, but fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, boating

Boating

Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...

 and camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

 are permitted. During the 1984 Summer Olympics

1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

 in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, Lake Casitas hosted the canoeing

Canoeing at the 1984 Summer Olympics

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, twelve events in sprint canoe racing were contested on Lake Casitas. The women's K-4 500 m event was introduced to the Olympic program at these Games.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:...

 and rowing

Rowing at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Rowing at the 1984 Summer Olympics featured 14 events in total, for both men and women.Due to the Eastern Bloc boycott of these Olympics, some of the strongest rowing nations like East Germany, the USSR or Bulgaria were not present...

 events. The lake was used as the site for filming the scenes of Camp Greenlake in the 19th century in the 2003 film Holes

Holes (film)

Holes is a 2003 film based on the novel of the same name by Louis Sachar, who also wrote the screenplay, with Shia LaBeouf as the lead role of Stanley Yelnats...

.

External links

• Lake Casitas Recreation Area