Diamond Valley Lake, CA

Diamond Valley Lake is man-made reservoir located in Hemet, California, United States. It is one of the largest reservoirs in Southern California and also one of the newest. With 800,000 acre feet (990,000,000 m3) of water, The lake nearly doubled the area’s surface water storage capacity and provides additional water supplies for drought, peak summer, and emergency needs.

The lake features three earth fill dams; two on either side of the valley and one on the south rim. Construction of the dams took advantage of nearby materials, and was one of the largest earthworks projects in the United States. Excavation of core materials for the dams resulted in many paleontological finds, all of which are displayed at the Western Science Center at the lake's East end. The lake is open to boating and fishing, along with hiking and other recreational activities around the lake.

Diamond Valley Lake offers fishing and light boating on the lake. A recreation park, aquatic center, visitor center and the Western Science Center along with the lake marina are located on the eastern end of the lake. A viewpoint, offering views of the pumping station and I/O tower, along with most of the lake is located on the western end of the lake. To the south of the lake is the Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve, a 13,500 acres (55 km2; 21.1 sq mi) preserve between Diamond Valley Lake and Lake Skinner. The reserve is home to at least 16 sensitive, endangered or threatened native California bird, animal and plant species.

Stocking of the lake with fish began before reservoir was filled with a small rearing pond being placed on the bottom of the valley. The lake has several species of freshwater Fish; Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, Rainbow Trout, Striped Bass, Channel Catfish, and Shad. It is considered one of the best fisheries in California.