Vail Lake
Encyclopedia
Vail Lake is a large reservoir in western Riverside County, California
, located on Temecula Creek
in the Santa Margarita River
watershed, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Temecula
.
It covers approximately 1,100 acres (4.5 km²) and has a storage capacity of 51000 acre.ft, although it currently contains about 34000 acre.ft of water.
It was created in 1948 when the owners of the Vail Ranch constructed the 132 feet (40.2 m) high Vail Lake Dam, which has been owned and operated by the Rancho California Water District since 1978.
Vail Lake is supplied by storm water runoff from Kolb, Temecula, and Wilson Creeks. Surface water stored in the lake is used to help replenish local ground water supplies through recharge operations.
The property surrounding Vail Lake is privately owned, and recreational access to the lake is privately controlled. The Butterfield Country Recreation Park was established in 1968 to provide public access to the lake and its marina, but the park was closed by its owners in 1989. In 1995, a members-only resort facility was opened at the location of the former park; and in 2000, the area was re-opened to the public on an annual-fee basis. Recreational activities at Vail Lake include fishing, boating, RV and tent camping, horseback riding, mountain biking, miniature golf and swimming.
Land near Vail Lake is the only known native habitat of the endangered flowering shrub Ceanothus ophiochilus
, which was named the Vail Lake ceanothus when it was discovered in 1989.
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, located on Temecula Creek
Temecula Creek
Temecula Creek runs through southern Riverside County, California, USA, past the rural communities of the Temecula Valley along the State Route 79 corridor, such as Aguanga, and ending near the city of Temecula. The creek is filled with boulders, and is typically dry and sandy. It is a relatively...
in the Santa Margarita River
Santa Margarita River
The Santa Margarita River is a short intermittent river on the Pacific coast of southern California in the United States, approximately long. One of the last free-flowing rivers in southern California, it drains an arid region of the Coast Ranges between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern...
watershed, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Temecula
Temecula, California
Temecula is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States with a population of 100,097 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it the lowest populated American city over 100,000 population. It was incorporated on December 1, 1989...
.
It covers approximately 1,100 acres (4.5 km²) and has a storage capacity of 51000 acre.ft, although it currently contains about 34000 acre.ft of water.
It was created in 1948 when the owners of the Vail Ranch constructed the 132 feet (40.2 m) high Vail Lake Dam, which has been owned and operated by the Rancho California Water District since 1978.
Vail Lake is supplied by storm water runoff from Kolb, Temecula, and Wilson Creeks. Surface water stored in the lake is used to help replenish local ground water supplies through recharge operations.
The property surrounding Vail Lake is privately owned, and recreational access to the lake is privately controlled. The Butterfield Country Recreation Park was established in 1968 to provide public access to the lake and its marina, but the park was closed by its owners in 1989. In 1995, a members-only resort facility was opened at the location of the former park; and in 2000, the area was re-opened to the public on an annual-fee basis. Recreational activities at Vail Lake include fishing, boating, RV and tent camping, horseback riding, mountain biking, miniature golf and swimming.
Land near Vail Lake is the only known native habitat of the endangered flowering shrub Ceanothus ophiochilus
Ceanothus ophiochilus
Ceanothus ophiochilus is a rare species of flowering shrub known by the common name Vail Lake ceanothus, native to Southern California...
, which was named the Vail Lake ceanothus when it was discovered in 1989.