Stone's First Bill Seeks to Lift Restrictions at Local Lake

By City News Service:

A first-term Inland Empire lawmaker’s first bill proposes lifting swimming restrictions at a Riverside County lake to make the location more attractive to outdoor enthusiasts and commercial interests.

Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Palm Desert, elected to represent the 28th state Senate District in November, introduced Senate Bill 143 Tuesday, calling for amendments to the California Health & Safety Code aimed at opening Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet to increased recreational activity.

“Promises were made to the people of Hemet, Winchester and southwest Riverside County when the Metropolitan Water District (of Southern California) chose the site for its large reservoir,” Stone said. “My first bill will ensure there is an opportunity for those promises to finally be kept.”

Currently, boating and fishing are permitted on Diamond Valley Lake, but under specific conditions -- none of which include a person making “bodily contact” with the water. The MWD strictly prohibits all forms of contact, making it a misdemeanor offense to even stand or wade in the water, according to rules and regulations posted by the agency.

“Diamond Valley Lake (is) a drinking water reservoir and, therefore, body contact within the lake water is prohibited,” the MWD states on the lake’s official website.

The agency emphasizes that the “primary purpose of Diamond Valley Lake ... is to ensure reliable supplies of high-quality water for Southern California.”

According to Stone, when the $2 billion reservoir was under construction throughout the 1990s, MWD officials “boasted” that the lake would offer a plethora of recreational opportunities, including an adjoining Olympic-size swimming pool, a commercial water park, slips for 250 boats, campsites, golf courses and miles of hiking and biking trails.

The former Riverside County supervisor complained that few of the promised developments materialized.

He said that by loosening bodily contact standards, SB 143 would be the first step toward securing the lake area’s potential for a “flood of economic development.”

“My bill will not only help to provide recreational opportunities for families, it will bring good jobs and economic opportunity to the people of Riverside County,” Stone said.

His legislation notes that swimming would only be permissible if the lake water “receives complete treatment, including ... filtration and disinfection, before being used for domestic purposes.”

Diamond Valley Lake spans 4.5 miles in length and 2 miles across, with the potential to hold 810,000 acre feet or 264 billion gallons of water, according to the MWD.

The lake receives allotments from the State Water Project, which has been under strain due to the statewide drought.

According to water supply tables released Sunday, Diamond Valley Lake is currently at half capacity.

(Image via Shutterstock)