Workers are expected to begin draining Irvine Lake Monday as part of the project to repair the Santiago Creek Dam.
The project has local anglers upset, but officials have been planning the work for about a decade.
According to the Irvine Ranch Water District, which manages the lake, the dam was built in 1933 and serves nearly a million residents.
“I don’t blame them,” Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner said of the anglers who fish in the lake. “It is unfortunate, but it is a reality that the Irvine Ranch Water District has to take. They’ve got to do repairs to the dam and water-intake system. It’s been planned for a long time, but they’re just getting around to doing it.”
Wagner said the plans for the draining of the lake were known in 2019 when the lake was reopened.
The water district began assessing the dam in 2017 and determined that while it still works, it needed improvements, including upgrading to modern seismic and safety standards, according to the district.
The aim is to boost storage capacity and capture more rainwater to reduce the reliance on imported water, according to the district.
In the end, the improvements will restore the lake’s capacity and add 3,700 acre-feet of water. The project is expected to be completed by 2030.
