So I went to Diamond Valley Lake on Monday

[socalmoney]

I haven't been for several years. I checked it out before it was open and they were filling it. I actually went to visit the Museum they have their. I am huge fan of architecture and green building so I really just wanted to see the facility. Anyways, the museum is closed on Mondays so I drove over to the marina. There was only 4 boat trailers in the paring lot. The place was empty. There were more trusties picking up trash than people using the lake. It was really sad sitting there looking at it knowing I couldn't use it. The deputy assigned to the lake had a sweet patrol boat and nice Tahoe to cruise in. He must be board to death.
I asked a few people if I could put my jetboat on it and they acted as if I could since it was a four stroke engine etc but I am sure it wouldn't pass inspection. You would think the city of Hemet would be super pissed that Diamond Valley Lake is not being used much by the general public. They are sitting on a potentially huge tax base if they let real boats on that lake. Might speed up the process to bring Hemet into the 21st century. What a shame.
Has anyone put their boat on that body of water? How can we get these rules changed. What ever happened with State Sen. Bill Morrow efforts to get it changed to full use.
http://www.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45056&highlight=diamond

[lalhc]

Those restrictions won't change. It's a water resevoir like Lake Skinner. People are lucky they can fish there, and from I understand they built a terrific fish habitat for bass.

[boatsnblondes]

Josh..it's a good idea, but not likely to happen....simply because of the experiences from Perris Lake. Perris is used for drinking water also, but for a long time now has had major problems due to people <Mexicans> washing daipers in the water, defacating in the water, etc. I heard NUMEROUS stories time after time about being out by the island and having a floater go by with the current....they have had to do major work to clean up that lake, and I doubt that you will ever see Daimnd valley used by the public...MWD has just had enough....sorry.....:confused:

[disco_charger]

In 1987 my Father helped me build my first boat, a 68 Howard with a 390 Ford. When we finally got it together, he asked me where I wanted to lake test before we dragged it out to Lake Mohave. I told him Perris, because Elsinore was dirty. It was a Wednesday, it was empty. I launched, and we idled past the jetties. As we cruised out, my Dad elbowed me and pointed to the woman washing diapers out on the edge of the jetty. Her small child was swimming right next to her. I think I've been back once, since then.

[shippingguy]

As long as your boat is over 12 feet in length you are allowed to put it on Diamond Valley. The boat has to pass USCG regulations. There is also a DB level that you must be under for exhaust noise. The lake has a 35 MPH limit and it is no contact(no swimming etc.) I will tell you one thing if you go to the far end you could open your boat up and nobody would know. The place is huge. If you ever get a chance go up to the lookout point off Winchester Road.
Mike

[boat boy]

You use to have to take the boat down to lake skinner for inspection, no MTBE in the fuel, make sure fuel is clean. After inspection you can launch. Speed limit I believe is only 25MPH and reduced by the shore line to no wake. I have not been on the lake with my boat, but know a few people that have fished there and the fishing crowd seems to like it.
Yes I think MWD should have spent the $$$ on other types of filters at the pump out to where the lake could have been used by others. One last food for thought. Where did the H20 come from, oh Havasu/Colorado River Aquaduct. Does anyone care to guess what goes on up stream. What a joke their regulations are.
Another part of the story is, after MWD took Federal monies for launch ramps, they had to guarantee so many launchs a year. Then MWD decided to revoke any power boats...funny thing, feds said give us are $$ back (which MWD already spent) they started singing a different tune.

[willowrat]

You use to have to take the boat down to lake skinner for inspection, no MTBE in the fuel, make sure fuel is clean. After inspection you can launch. Speed limit I believe is only 25MPH and reduced by the shore line to no wake. I have not been on the lake with my boat, but know a few people that have fished there and the fishing crowd seems to like it.
Yes I think MWD should have spent the $$$ on other types of filters at the pump out to where the lake could have been used by others. One last food for thought. Where did the H20 come from, oh Havasu/Colorado River Aquaduct. Does anyone care to guess what goes on up stream. What a joke their regulations are.
Another part of the story is, after MWD took Federal monies for launch ramps, they had to guarantee so many launchs a year. Then MWD decided to revoke any power boats...funny thing, feds said give us are $$ back (which MWD already spent) they started singing a different tune.
I agree. Saying it is a resivoir is a joke. We drink water out of Castaic, Piru, Havasu, Mead etc. They just do not want our type of boats out there.

[Ziggy]

I seem to recall the project originally was designed for multiple use and is how it got the green light to be built. Such vast marina was not needed for 4 or 5 boats, there was a different reason in the beginning.
A classic bait and switch for funding purposes.

[Havasu_Dreamin]

I seem to recall the project originally was designed for multiple use and is how it got the green light to be built. Such vast marina was not needed for 4 or 5 boats, there was a different reason in the beginning.
A classic bait and switch for funding purposes.
Exactly. I was looking forward to using it when it was first announced. Now that the boat stays in Havasu I don't really care...still sucks though...

[Excessive Force]

Josh..it's a good idea, but not likely to happen....simply because of the experiences from Perris Lake. Perris is used for drinking water also, but for a long time now has had major problems due to people <Mexicans> washing daipers in the water, defacating in the water, etc. I heard NUMEROUS stories time after time about being out by the island and having a floater go by with the current....they have had to do major work to clean up that lake, and I doubt that you will ever see Daimnd valley used by the public...MWD has just had enough....sorry.....:confused:
DAMM MEXICANS!!!!

[OCMerrill]

I seem to recall the project originally was designed for multiple use and is how it got the green light to be built. Such vast marina was not needed for 4 or 5 boats, there was a different reason in the beginning.
A classic bait and switch for funding purposes.
This is exactly it. We went there many times when they first broke ground. My grandmother lived in Hemet and she was infatuated by this.
At first it was a multi use, body contact, boat up shore camping, rv parks, marinas, etc. Now its 20 hp pontoon heaven.
I will LMAO when the Quagga Muscles show up. It does pull Colorado River water in right?:eek:
Total BS. That's why its never been mentioned here. It's basically unusable.

[socalmoney]

Total BS. That's why its never been mentioned here. It's basically unusable.
There is very little info or chat about it here on ***boat. I was kind of surprised there wasn't more angry threads about it.

[skygod73]

It's too bad a Hot Boating Atty couldn't file a large lawsuit on behalf of the general public for the bait and switch tactics used to get funds from the voters. So much recreational potential wasted. Can you imagine the money that lake would've generated with fees for, camping, launching etc... It would have been amazing to have a decent sized lake in socal. FOCKERS!!!:mad:

[bordsmnj]

there were years ago. it still pisses me off.

[socalmoney]

They must be loosing tons of money, there are huge signs that say "Half priced Wednesdays" for rentals and such.

[CoolCruzinCobra]

I seem to recall the project originally was designed for multiple use and is how it got the green light to be built. Such vast marina was not needed for 4 or 5 boats, there was a different reason in the beginning.
A classic bait and switch for funding purposes.
Your right a classic bait and switch
Sure like to see a law suit over.It could be a tax heaven for the city as well.

[C-2]

This topic was discussed several times, years ago when the project was developing.
In fact, the Bass fisherman aligned themselves with other more pro-active groups such as the offroader groups and even Jet-ski groups, several of who have kick-arse, and proactive advocacy groups (and some even ahve state/federal lobbyist). Us ***boaters didn't seem to care at the time, and a few of our efforts fell on deaf ears. Efforts to align ourselves with the bass fisherman, who received the support of larger groups. Good ole' fashioned grassroots networking.
MWD is a powerhouse and the Colorado rover system is the most litigated waterway in the world. MWD was created for the sole purpose of securing Cali's apportionment of water from the river.
Water laws are very old, and so is MWD. MWD maintains the strength of the collective citizenry - so their pockets are as deep as Lake Tahoe.
In a nutshell, what those bastards say - goes.
They got pissed at their eminent domain proceedings against the Domenegoni(?) family, and thus the name change to Diamond Valley.

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

I've been there a few times...Ya have to have a fuel injected motor...they do a quick inspection for that and saftey equipment....speed limit is 25...Yeah it's not the best, but it beats going to Perris, all the boats are parked fishing and you can cruise the lake pretty much all alone...

[MBlaster]

I can only say that I had forgotton how angry I was over this whole deal untill I read this thread.
Now I'm just pissed off again.:mad:

[SandbarScot]

This topic was discussed several times, years ago when the project was developing.
In fact, the Bass fisherman aligned themselves with other more pro-active groups such as the offroader groups and even Jet-ski groups, several of who have kick-arse, and proactive advocacy groups (and some even ahve state/federal lobbyist). Us ***boaters didn't seem to care at the time, and a few of our efforts fell on deaf ears. Efforts to align ourselves with the bass fisherman, who received the support of larger groups. Good ole' fashioned grassroots networking.
MWD is a powerhouse and the Colorado rover system is the most litigated waterway in the world. MWD was created for the sole purpose of securing Cali's apportionment of water from the river.
Water laws are very old, and so is MWD. MWD maintains the strength of the collective citizenry - so their pockets are as deep as Lake Tahoe.
In a nutshell, what those bastards say - goes.
They got pissed at their eminent domain proceedings against the Domenegoni(?) family, and thus the name change to Diamond Valley.
I was gonna add my two cents, but couldn't have said it better than C-2. MWD's bank account, power, huge lobbying power in Sarcramento, and political allies make it nearly impossible for the performance boating crowd to do anything about their bait-and-switch.
MWD always designed Diamond Valley to be a drinking water lake and will protect that water at all costs. They could give a rat's ass about power boats or any potential tourism.
The $100 million dollars they lost to Andy Domenegoni and his family pissed them off, but they just wrote the check, renamed the lake, and moved on. The Domenegoni's deserved that money. Their land that MWD took was worth at least that much.
Okay, I guess I did add my two cents.

[AzLakeLizard]

5 years ago I started working for my company here in Page AZ..
and my first assignment was to work on a portfolio of our "Floating Restrooms" that we have here on Powell. We designed and Built these restrooms for Diamond Valley Lake.
I remember talking about the lake and it being said that it was to be a "Drinking Water Lake".. no contact etc. That is why the extra effort was put into the special potties... :)

[juicy noodle]

I worked on the lake last year. Yes the speed limit is 25 (I could not bring myself to cite someone for it though, Yes I was that bored deputy once).
The inspection is a joke, they do not have a decibel meter nor does the deputy on the water. The citations that are issued are a civil cite, and not enforced in a court of law, the fines go directly to MWD, and they hear the "Trial" if you dispute. The MTBE rule is unenforcable they do not have the testing equipment. The patrol boat can only travel approximately 28 MPH (radar tested), and can not catch half the boats going faster to issue a cite.
As for the City of Hemet, I believe is suing MWD for failing to complete the several other projects promised by MWD (recreation lake camping etc..).
So the moral is MWD has done whatever they want without checks and balance.
Oh Yeah, Quagga mussel have already been found, they just will not issue a press release on it.....
The deputies out there are very nice and friendly, stop by and say hi if your out there....

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

Yep, It is what it is.....If it opened up to everyone it'd be a big cluster **** like Perris.....that's why I go to the river :)

[BoatPI]

I believe that Mr. Mulhuland was one of the founders of the MWD, so yes, it has a long history.

[BrendellaJet]

I worked on the lake last year. Yes the speed limit is 25 (I could not bring myself to cite someone for it though, Yes I was that bored deputy once).
The inspection is a joke, they do not have a decibel meter nor does the deputy on the water. The citations that are issued are a civil cite, and not enforced in a court of law, the fines go directly to MWD, and they hear the "Trial" if you dispute. The MTBE rule is unenforcable they do not have the testing equipment. The patrol boat can only travel approximately 28 MPH (radar tested), and can not catch half the boats going faster to issue a cite.
As for the City of Hemet, I believe is suing MWD for failing to complete the several other projects promised by MWD (recreation lake camping etc..).
So the moral is MWD has done whatever they want without checks and balance.
Oh Yeah, Quagga mussel have already been found, they just will not issue a press release on it.....
The deputies out there are very nice and friendly, stop by and say hi if your out there....
So how do they enforce the ticket? We should get a group of 50-100 boats and go out there and stiff arm the rangers on the way in and go boating.
Oh yeah, we have to piss in the water too :D

[92562]

Sore spot for me too!:mad:
I have watched this lake since the first shovel hit the ground. This is not the first lake used for drinking water. Oil, gas, etc. floats on top. Everything else sinks. The water pick-ups for drinking water are 50-60 feet up from the bottom which means, clean water. Diamond Valley is twice the depth of most "drinking water" lakes. They were originally supposed to allow all kins of boating, skiing, etc.:confused: I was told that the water rights are owned by Orange County (same for Skinner and Mathews) who made the rules. Anyone else have any info?

[talkinghead]

As I recall Diamond Valley only delivers water under emergency situations.

[92562]

Correct! But for OC. Has nothing to do with those who live near/would boat on it.

[talkinghead]

I heard at one point last year that Jeff Stone (RC Sup) was trying to force MWD to meet their end of the bargain in terms of recreation.

[juicy noodle]

All of you are correct. The lake is a storage tank for mostly the OC & San Diego. However it has the ability to pump water back up stream and feed LA if needed. They release water mostly around July-September to generate power during peak times, and refill the lake during the winter months.
The rules and regs that govern the lake are voted on at MWD in Los Angeles. The people that run this lake are very liberal and have made several commitments to wildlife groups protecting teh area around the lake. For example NO vehicles are allowed to drive up to the lake after dark to protect wild life from being run over by a car. There are several very restrictive rules that govern the lake like this.
As for the tickets issued at the lake, they are CIVIL and are only enforced in a civil court (like a water bill). They have had problems with this since the start of the lake. At the time I transferred, they did not have a database in place to track issued tickets vs paid fines. I still have not heard of MWD correcting this problem.
The "Rangers" that patrol the lake are Riverside County Deputy Sheriff's, although they have a boring gig, they still are peace officers. They are a great bunch of guys and will not mess with most boaters, but don't test the water with them, might cost more than a MWD ticket.

[socalmoney]

The "Rangers" that patrol the lake are Riverside County Deputy Sheriff's, although they have a boring gig, they still are peace officers. They are a great bunch of guys and will not mess with most boaters, but don't test the water with them, might cost more than a MWD ticket.
Never mess with a Deputy,
Police are fair game. haha