Seven Oaks Dam: An Engineering Masterpiece

Posted on May 26, 2023 | No Comments

Yesterday I was able to join a tour of Seven Oaks Dam, a 550-foot high rock fill and clay embankment dam across the Santa Ana River in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Built in response to major flooding in the mid-20th century, the dam’s main purpose is flood protection of the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project areas within Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and to capture runoff for groundwater recharge in the Bunker Hill Basin area.

One of the largest dams on the country, the dam was built under contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1993 and 2000.