Diamond Valley Lake, California

Diamond Valley Lake is 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Hemet.  It is a man-made drinking water reservoir.  Located between Los Angeles and San Diego it is one of the largest in Southern California.  Construction began on the dams in 1995.  Water started filling the lake in 1999 and the project was completed in 2003.  It is one of the newest reservoirs in California.

At its maximums, the lake is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long and 2 miles (3 km) wide.  The maximum depth is 260 feet (79 meters).  The lake has 800,000 acre feet (990,000,000 m³) of water.  Not exactly sure how much water that is but it sounds like a lot.  The reservoir provides water during drought, peak summer and emergency needs.

The reservoir project cost $1.9 billion.  Construction of the three dams was the largest earthworks project in the USA.

No physical contact with the water is allowed so there is no swimming or water skiing permitted.  However, you can go boating or fishing.  My uncle recently purchased a pontoon boat and took us out for a day on the lake.

However, every boat must be inspected before being allowed on the water.  The boat must be clean, drained and dry.  The zero tolerance policy is in place in order to protect the lake from destruction by Quagga and Zebra mussels.

We had a wonderful time out on the lake.  And afterwards, Uncle Kevin fixed us the biggest steaks I've ever seen for dinner.   

They were Flintstones big.  In Czech Republic we eat a lot of pork.  While you can get beef, it is much more expensive than pork.  And steaks in ČR are not common except in restaurants which charge big time. 

Cruising on the lake and a great steak dinner.  What an awesome day!