California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) recently completed a major riparian restoration project and opened three miles of a multi-use trail near the east end of Lake Perris in Riverside County. The project is part of the recently completed Perris Dam Remediation Project and is aimed at preserving native vegetation, wildlife, and trees for birds to perch on.
The trail had been closed since September while an irrigation system and large, dead trees were removed.
In 2005 DWR officials lowered the water level at Lake Perris by 25 feet to ensure public safety during the planning, environmental permitting, design, and construction phases of the dam’s seismic remediation project.
Following completion of the project and approval by the Division of Safety of Dams, DWR began refilling the reservoir and is currently at 80 percent of capacity. Lake Perris is expected to reach full capacity by early January.
To protect against erosion, wood chips that were a part of the riparian restoration remain along the eastern shoreline. As the lake refills, some of the wood chips may temporarily float on the lake surface. The public is urged to stay away from floating woody debris when near the eastern shoreline.
Lake Perris is the State Water Project’s southernmost facility and the terminal storage facility on the East Branch.
