Peeking out from the hillsides north of Mountain Street, Diederich Reservoir 5-006 Dam collects Glendale’s drinking water. It supplies all of the downtown area. It’s more than just a dam. It is a vital part of the city’s infrastructure.
Let’s delve into the story of Diederich Reservoir 5-006 Dam. This dam is in Los Angeles County. Its coordinates are N34.16834 degrees and W118.24924 degrees.
Completed in 1950, Diederich Reservoir 5-006 Dam stands as an earth dam. It reaches a height of 60 feet. The dam’s length stretches 100 feet. It can hold 174 acre-feet of water. That’s quite a bit of water. Its surface area spans seven acres.
Glendale Water & Power oversees the reservoir. The Diederich Reservoir is not readily apparent to the unschooled eye. A chain-link fence encloses a mostly barren, dry field. Intermittent yellow posts mark water sampling stations. A hatch provides access to the dark cavern.
Concrete steps stretch down the sloping walls inside. They mark water levels. You can see where the water surface had been. It was two feet higher earlier in the day. The water is replenished at night. Water usage dwindles then. This keeps the water moving in and out of the reservoir. This helps to keep quality high.
Columns of concrete stretch as far as the eye can see in the dim light. The structure dates back to 1956. Every noise echoes through the dark interior. This creates an ominous atmosphere.
The Diederich Reservoir is one of 30 storage sites in the city. It can store more than 57 million gallons of water. That’s huge for Glendale. Some cities don’t have that much storage in their entire city.
Glendale uses an average of 26 million gallons per day. It has storage space for about 185 million gallons. Glendale could survive about seven days on its own. This is if water sources were cut off in an emergency.
Glendale employs methods to keep the water moving. They also keep quality up. This includes occasionally overflowing the reservoir. This purges accumulated surface dust.
The reservoirs are used purely for storing water. Most of the water comes from the Metropolitan Water District. The storage capacity was designed to hold enough water to fight a major fire.
So, as you stand before the Diederich Reservoir 5-006 Dam, remember its vital role. It ensures Glendale has a reliable water supply. It is also ready for any emergency. The Diederich Reservoir 5-006 Dam has a high hazard potential classification. This highlights its importance. It also requires careful monitoring and maintenance. The last inspection was one year ago. The condition assessment was satisfactory. The dam is a testament to engineering and foresight. It safeguards the city’s water needs.