Frequently Asked Questions: History of the Lake
In 1998, California Department of Fish and Game Biologist Mike Giusti began cultivating a model, multi-tier fishery. Black bass, perhaps the favorite quarry of Southern California fishermen, were established with broodstock in a rearing pond, built in what is now the lake bottom. With that head start, the first spawn are now as large as three pounds.
Water began pouring into the reservoir in November 1999 and the lake was filled by early 2002. Diamond Valley Lake holds 800,000 acre-feet, or 260 billion gallons of water. By comparison, Lake Havasu, on the Colorado River, holds just 648,000 acre-feet or 201 billion gallons.