Those Were The Days: The story behind building Papoose Lake – Part 4

By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY

Historian

The election on Nov. 5, 1974, would decide if Lake Arrowhead would have to be lowered by 70 feet because of an unsafe dam, or if the community would tax itself a $7 million bond issue to build a new dam downstream from the old Lake Arrowhead Dam and buy the lake.

The reason given for the drastic action by the Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) was that, with the reservoir full, failure of the dam during an 6.5 earthquake would cause a wall of water to rush down Little Bear and Deep Creeks to the Mojave River at speeds in excess of 25 miles per hour. The loss of life and property damage, said DSOD, would be related to the height and speed of the wall of water.

The imported sand at Village Beach at Lake Arrowhead would become unusable because it would be about 100 feet from the water, not to mention the sudden drop-off, if the lake’s level was lowered 70 feet.

There were 29 dwellings in the path of the inundation two miles below the dam. Three of the dwellings were permanent residences; the other 26 were occupied during the summer months. It is estimated that over 200 persons used the canyons for recreation on summer weekends.

But what else would have occurred if the bond issue to build a dam failed? There would have been serious impacts upon Lake Arrowhead itself which would affect the Arrowhead Woods area if the DSOD lowered the lake. These were the arguments given and facts stated by the “Give a Dam” supporters in September 1974:

1. The depth of the water at the dam would be lowered by 70 feet from a height of 5,106.7 feet above sea level to the 5,037-foot elevation.
2. The capacity of the lake would decrease to 14,000 acre-feet from 48,000 acre-feet, a loss of 38,000 acre-feet.
3. The lake’s surface area would decrease from 780 acres to 370 acres.
4. The resulting 410 acres of exposed lake bottom would be covered in sediments, rendering it unusable for other activities.
5. Those exposed sediments would then rot and decay and probably stink.
6. When it rained, those exposed sediments would be washed back into the remaining lake unless quickly (and expensively) removed. By washing back into the lake, the sediments would decrease the depth in the lake, causing algae growth and odor which would destroy the taste of the water which was being used for domestic use.
7. The shoreline would be decreased from 12.5 miles to 5.3 miles.

8. 

   The swinging gyms were a very popular amusement in Lake Arrowhead Village in the 1970s.

9. All 1,500 boat docks and slips would be sitting in the dirt after the lake level dropped the first 15 feet (and the lake was to be lowered by 70 feet).
10. This would leave all three sand beaches far from the water.
11. The domestic water system, which took its water from Lake Arrowhead, would become unusable as the intakes would be above water level.
12. Lake Arrowhead would then need to find a new source of water for domestic use since it was not connected to the state water project and had refused to become a part of the Crestline-Lake Arrowhead Water Agency (CLAWA). This would cause water rates to increase dramatically.
13. Since most fishing occurred from docks or from the shore and the boats would be sitting in the mud, most fishing would cease.
14. Tourism would immediately drop by 50 percent in Cedar Glen and Arrowhead Woods, with an expected 40-percent drop in Blue Jay. This would result in a 37-percent decline in employment and tax revenue would also drop. Unless the situation changed, there wasn’t much hope of a quick economic revival.
15. Property values would drop in Arrowhead Woods by as much as 50 percent for lakefront homes, with a total loss expected to exceed $77 million.
16. The decline in property values would extend to a decrease in assessed valuation of property, leading to a decease in tax revenues, costing the area over $2.15 million to the schools, fire department, sanitation district, hospital district and over $600,000 directly to the county.
17. Most native trees and plants around the lake would die. And it would also affect the surrounding forest.

Is it any wonder why “Give a Dam” was on everyone’s lips during the summer and fall of 1974 leading up to the November election? Yet, still there was some vocal opposition to the expense and complications of the purchasing of the private lake and building a new dam. (And this was all before the negativity days of the Internet and Facebook).

How will the people vote?

Lake Arrowhead Village in the 1970s.