General Community Information

The town of Littlerock is located on California Highway 138, about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the southern most portion of the Antelope Valley.

Littlerock has a population of approximately 12,591 and is at an elevation of 2,900 feet above sea level. The weather ranges from the extreme heat of summer to the extreme cold of winter. Yes, Littlerock sometimes has snow in the winter months.

Nestled among the rolling foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, in the northern part of Los Angeles County just an hours drive from the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles, is the small agricultural community of Littlerock. Graced by four seasons, with snow in the winter, 100 degree heat in the summer, the beauty of blossoms and ripening fruit in the spring, and the changing color of leaves in the orchards in the fall, all accentuated with the year-round majesty of the native Joshua trees, Littlerock is truly a place of natural splendor.

The territory was occupied by peaceful tribes of Piute and Runner lndians until the mid 1860's when the first settler moved in, bringing a flock of sheep and building an adobe home along the creek. When he was killed in 1886 by a grizzly bear, his place became a refuge for bandits.

In the 1890's a settlement was started that was to become the foundation of Littlerock. The settlers planted 2000 acres of almond trees. The trees were early bloomers, and the sometimes unpredictable cold weather destroyed most of the crop. A few of the settlers had also planted pear trees, but these thrived and lived on to start the legend of the pear belt. A few almonds can be found today, but most have been cut for firewood. In 1901 the first ton of pears was shipped to the Mott Market in Los Angeles for $40 per ton F.O.B. Palmdale.

The first business in Littlerock was a blacksmith shop opened in 1890. The area at that time was called Alpine Springs Colony. In 1892 it was changed to Tierra Bonita by a developer, and in 1893 the town became Littlerock and the first post office was established. The first general store was opened in 1894, but failed after the first year because there were so few people living in the area.

A school was started in a shed in 1911, with the first school house opening on March 13, 1913. The one room school served until 1923 when two rooms were added. Keppel Union School District was formed in 1922.

In 1914 the first library was formed in the old stone house still standing on 77th St. East and Pearblossom Hwy. The county supplied 222 books. In its first year of operation, the library lent books out 577 times to a total of 47 cardholders. The library moved to its present location on 80th St. in 1999, and lends up to 25,500 books annually.

To serve the irrigation needs of the orchards, Littlerock Dam was built in 1924. The dam is an Eastwood cement multiple arch buttress dam and is one of several built in the Western U.S. It is considered a historical architectural monument. It is located in the Angeles National Forest adjacent to Littlerock and serves as a recreational facility for off-road vehicles, fishing, boating, equestrian trails and camping. This is a popular retreat and can be enjoyed year-round.

The Littlerock Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1949 after serving many years as the Antelope Valley Landowners Association. In 1950 three members of the newly formed Chamber went to Sacramento and made such an impressive appeal that they received funding to build the bridge over Littlerock Creek on the west side of town. The Chamber continues to serve the needs of the local businesses as well hosting various community events for the residents.

Littlerock is the largest un-incorporated community in the Antelope Valley and is known as "The Fruit Basket of the Antelope Valley." The town is a series of orchards and homes and the highway is lined with fruit stands, U-pick orchards and small businesses that serve the needs of local residents as well as the high volume of tourist traffic. Littlerock has 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school and 1 high school to serve not only our local children, but the surrounding areas of Pearblossom, Juniper Hills and Lake Los Angeles. A junior college is now being planned for the area as well. There are two county operated parks to serve the needs of the community. Littlerock has numerous churches of many denominations.

Town Council meets the 2nd Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at Alpine Elementary School, 8244 East Pearblossom Hwy.,Littlerock (located next to Farmer's Mart)

The zip code for Littlerock California is 93543 and recently changed the area code from 805 to 661.

The Littlerock Dam

Littlerock Dam is located on US Forest Service land in the southern Antelope Valley. The Littlerock Dam was built in 1924; however, it was ordered to be renovated in 1932 and again in 1966 by the State Division of Safety of Dams because studies indicated that the dam would not withstand a major earthquake.

Palmdale Water District and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District are proud of the renovation of the Littlerock Dam area and are anxious to provide tours and video presentations to interested visitors. Call (805) 947-4111 ext. 120 and ask for Claudette Roberts for more information.

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In 1886, the Palmdale Irrigation District (PID) was established to acquire land and water and then rent, lease and sell both as they were developed. Three other water agencies, the Alpine Springs Land and Water Company, the East Palmdale Water Company and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District were formed during the late 1880’s and early 1890’s and began appropriating water from Littlerock Creek. The Littlerock Creek Irrigation District (LCID) eventually acquired the facilities and assets of the former two agencies. In 1918, these local water companies, which by now had been consolidated into the Palmdale Water Company and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District, worked together to finance and construct a dam on Littlerock Creek. The Littlerock Dam was built in 1924 to supply irrigation water for agricultural use to the Palmdale area. At the time of completion it was considered the highest reinforced concrete multiple-arch dam in the world with a capacity of 4,200-acre feet of water. Due to the somewhat controversial nature of the design of Littlerock Dam, the State of California in 1932 determined that the structure was unsafe in its then-present condition. Renovations were ordered and by 1940 re-construction of Littlerock Dam was considered once again complete.

Over the years, agricultural water use declined and by the 1950’s with the emergence of the local aerospace industry there began a shift from supplying agricultural water to supplying domestic water. From 1965 to 1985, the water service grew from 4,100 to 8,062-acre feet per year and doubled again in the five years that followed. In 1973, the parent company name was changed from Palmdale Irrigation District (PID) to Palmdale Water District (PWD) to reflect the shift from irrigation use to domestic use.

In 1987, to keep up with demand, PWD constructed a water treatment plant capable of processing 12 million gallons of water per day, which expanded to 24 million gallons per day in 1991. In the 1990’s, plans were underway to rehabilitate Littlerock Dam and provide seismic safety. At the same time, the original dam was raised 12 feet nearly doubling the reservoir’s capacity. The rehabilitation project, carried out in phases, was completed and dedication ceremonies were held on June 23, 1995, marking the re-opening of the Littlerock Dam area.

Today, the District’s boundaries include 187 square miles with a primary service area of 35 square miles. PWD not only receives water from Littlerock Dam but also from local groundwater sources as well as the State Water Project and serves 21,210 active customer connections. Littlerock Dam encompasses a 150-acre lake, which is located on Cheeseboro Road off Pearblossom Highway. The lake, with an interpretive display center overlooking the dam, offers fishing, boating and swimming, picnic areas and campsites, parking and restroom facilities.

Littlerock Dam has appeared on the big screen on at least two separate occasions namely The Far Frontier (1948) and Bells of Coronado (1950). Both productions were for Republic Pictures starring Roy Rogers and both were directed by the late great William Witney.

"The Far Frontier" (Republic 1948) Directed by: William Witney. Cast: Roy Rogers, Gail Davis, Andy Devine, Francis Ford, Roy Barcroft, Clayton Moore, Robert Strange, Holly Bane, Lane Bradford, John Bagni, Clarence Straight, Edmund Cobb, Tom London, Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage.

"Bells of Coronado" (Republic 1950) Directed by: William Witney. Cast: Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Pat Brady, Grant Withers, Leo Cleary, Clfiton Young, Robert Bice, Stuart Randall, John Hamilton, Edmund Cobb, Eddie Lee, Rex Lease, Lane Bradford, Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage.

moviesites.org

LA County Fishing

ALONDRA PARK LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Located in an unincorporated area west of Lawndale and adjacent to El Camino College. Drive Interstate 405 to Redondo Beach Boulevard turnoff. Proceed east for a short distance to the park entrance on the left.

ARROYO SECO CREEK (Spring) Drive north on Route 2 from Foothill Boulevard at La Canada to the Switzer Forest Station. Trout are scattered in the creek throughout the campground.

BALBOA LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Drive Interstate 405 to Victory Boulevard, located about two miles north of Interstate 101 interchange in San Fernando Valley. Travel approximately one mile west on Victory to Balboa Boulevard and turn right into the Sepulveda Recreation Area. The lake is found on the right side of Balboa Boulevard within the recreation area.

BELVEDERE LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Drive east on Pomona Freeway (60), exit on Atlantic and goright to 3rd/Pomona Boulevard, turn right on to 3rd Street and continue a short distance.

BELVEDERE LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Drive east on Pomona Freeway (60), exit on Atlantic and goright to 3rd/Pomona Boulevard, turn right on to 3rd Street and continue a short distance.

BIG ROCK CREEK (Spring through Winter) On the north side of San Gabriel Mountains. Turn off Highway 138 at Pearblossom to Valyermo and go south 5 miles. Stocked from Angeles Forest boundary upstream about 2 miles.

BIG TUJUNGA CREEK LOWER SECTION (Early Spring through early Summer) Drive to Sunland on Foothill Boulevard. Turn north on Sunland Boulevard to Mount Gleason Avenue and continue to creek. Stocked at public access points.

BIG TUJUNGA CREEK UPPER SECTION (Spring and early Summer) From La Canada, go north on Route 2, bear left at Clear Creek Station, then north on Angeles Forest Highway (which may also be reached via Foothill Boulevard at Sunland); just above Monte Cristo Station watch for sign on your right marking turnoff to Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, drive south to vicinity of old Wickiup Camp. The stream is stocked from about ½ mile above old campground to 1 mile above Alder Creek. You can also reach the area by driving east on Route 2 then north on county road 3N19 through Upper Big Tujunga Canyon.

BOUQUET CANYON CREEK (late Spring through Summer) Northeast of Saugus Road, parallels stream. Stocked from below Bouquet Reservoir downstream about 9 miles to Texas Canyon.

CASTAIC LAKE AND LAGOON (Fall through Spring) 14.5 miles northwest of San Fernando on Interstate Highway 5. Take Hughes Road to Castaic Lake entrance.

CERRITOS LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Drive the San Gabriel River Freeway (605) to the Del Amo turn off. Continue east on Del Amo Boulevard approximately two miles to Bloomfield Avenue. Turn left on Bloomfield and continue a short distance to the lake entrance.
CRYSTAL LAKE (Fall through Spring) In San Gabriel Mountains 26 miles north of Azusa via San Gabriel Canyon Road (Highway 39).

DOWNEY LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Drive south on Santa Ana Freeway (5) and exit on Florence. Go across Florence Avenue to Downey Wilderness Park.

ECHO PARK LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Located a few blocks west of Dodger Stadium, the lake is adjacent to Highway 101. Drive 101 to Glendale Boulevard turnoff and then continue north approximately one-half mile to the park entrance.

EL DORADO PARK LAKE (late Fall through early Spring) Between Carson Street and Spring Street west of 605 Freeway. Three lakes on the north side of Carson are stocked.

ELIZABETH LAKE (Spring and Fall) From Los Angeles take Interstate 5 north to Castaic, turn right on Lake Hughes Road and follow it to Elizabeth Lake Road. Turn right past Lake Hughes and Munz Lake about 3 miles to Elizabeth Lake.

EARVIN "MAGIC" JOHNSON LAKE (formerly Willowbrook Park Lake) (Winter through early Spring) Located in Ervin Magic Johnson Regional County Park in Willowbrook. Drive Freeway 110 to the El Segundo Boulevard turn off. Continue east on El Segundo about one and one-half miles to the park entrance at Wadsworth Avenue and turn left.

HOLLENBECK PARK LAKE Situated adjacent to the 101 freeway between east 4th Street and east 6thBoulevard, downtown.

HUGHES LAKE (Spring and Fall) From Los Angeles, drive north on Interstate 5 to the Castaic Lake turnoff (Lake Hughes Road). Continue north approximately 20 miles to County Road N2 and turn right. The lake is located on the right side of the road about one mile from Lake Hughes Road.

JACKSON LAKE (Spring and Summer) In Big Pines Recreation Area west of Wrightwood on north side of San Gabriel Mountains. The location is off Interstate 15, northwest of Highway 138 to Highway 2.

KENNETH HAHN LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Located in the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Baldwin Hills, the lake can be reached via Interstate 10 or Interstate 405. From Interstate 10, drive south on La Cienega Boulevard approximately two miles and turn left into the park entrance. From Interstate 405, drive north on La Cienega Boulevard about four miles and turn right into the park.

LA MIRADA PARK LAKE (Winter through early Spring) From Interstate 5 in Norwalk, turn east on Rosecrans Avenue and continue approximately three miles to La Mirada Boulevard and turn left. Drive about one-forth mile to Alicante Road and turn right, then turn left on Adelfa Drive into La Mirada Regional Park. The lake is to the left just inside the park gate.

LEGG LAKES (Fall through Spring) Between El Monte and Whittier, at intersection of Pomona Freeway and Rosemead Boulevard.

LINCOLN PARK LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Lincoln Park and Recreation Center is located near the intersection of Interstate freeways 5 and 10 in Lincoln Heights. From I-10, turn north on Soto Street and continue three- forth mile to North Main Street, then turn left. The lake is on the right. From I-5, take the North Main Street turnoff and drive east about one-forth mile to the lake.

LITTLE ROCK CREEK (Spring and early Summer) Above Little Rock Reservoir in the Antelope Valley. Stocked from upper end of Little Rock Reservoir for 5 miles.

LITTLE ROCK RESERVOIR (Spring and Summer) Southeast of Palmdale on desert side of San Gabriel Mountains. Turn off Highway l38 about 4 miles west of Little Rock and go south on Cheeseboro Road to the Reservoir.

MACARTHUR LAKE (Winter through early Spring) Drive north on Hollywood Freeway(101) and exit Alvarado Street (south). Take Alvarado until you come to Wilshire Boulevard.

PECK ROAD PARK LAKE (Fall through Spring) From Los Angeles take Interstate l0 east to Peck Road offramp. Go north about 2-l/2 miles to Peck Road Park. Park will be on left going north; watch carefully for signs.

PIRU CREEK - FRENCHMAN'S FLAT (late Summer through Spring) From Interstate 5, take Templin Highway turnoff, about 7-1/2 miles north of Castaic. Follow old Highway 99 west and north, about 5 miles to Piru Creek at Frenchman's Flat.

PUDDINGSTONE LAKE (Fall through Spring) Northwest of Pomona or south of San Dimas. Turn off San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10) at Ganesha Drive, go north 1 mile to Puddingstone Drive and turn left to lake.

SAN DIMAS RESERVOIR (Winter and Springs)--North of San Dimas. From Foothill Boulevard go north 3 miles on San Dimas Canyon Road.

SAN GABRIEL RIVER EAST, NORTH, WEST FORKS (All year except North Fork, early Spring) All reached via San Gabriel Canyon road north from Azusa. East Fork enters San Gabriel Reservoir about 10 miles north of Azusa and is stocked from near its mouth upstream 3 miles to Cattle Canyon Guard Station. West Fork is farther up main San Gabriel Canyon, half a mile past Rincon Guard Station. Park at mouth of West Fork and fish upstream. Planted upstream to second bridge. Wild trout fishing above that point for 4-1/2 miles up to Cogswell Reservoir. North Fork parallels main canyon road and is stocked for 3 miles above its conjunction with West Fork.

SANTA FE RESERVOIR (Fall through Spring) Located in the Irwindale area. From Los Angeles drive east on Interstate 210, exit south on Irwindale Avenue, drive south to First Street, turn right on First then on Peckham Road and into the county park where the lake is located.

Dam Seismic Retrofit With High Performance Shotcrete

2km of the San Andreas Fault!

by Dudley R. Morgan, Principal Investigator

Introduction

High performance shotcrete was recently used in seismic retrofit of the Littlerock Dam in the Angeles National Forest, near Palmdale, Southern California. When it was built in 1924, it was the highest buttressed multiple arch dam in the U.S.A. (58 m high). The dam is located only 2.4 km suth oh the San Andreas fault and stability and stress analysis by the California State Division of Safety of Dams and Woodward-Clyde Consultants (WCC) showed that it did not meet current seismic safety criteria. WCC developped a two-stage seismic retrofit design strategy consisting of:

a) construction of a roller compacted concrete (RCC) gravity infill section on the downstream part of the dam around and between the existing buttresses (Ref. 1);

b) application of an anchored and bonded nominally 100 mm thick high performance shotcrete to the upstream face of the dam. Fig. 1 shows a general view of the shotcrete work in progress.

Concrete Canada Principal Investigator, Dr. D.R. Morgan, of AGRA Earth & Environmental Limited (AEE), Burnaby, British Columbia was retained by WCC to provide input into the shotcrete conceptual design and specifications, and shotcrete mixture design and performance requirements for the project. Dr. Morgan has been loading a team of researchers in Concrete Canada working in the field of high performance shotcrete and was able to transfer the latest state-of-the-art in this technology to the Littlerock Dam project.

The shotcrete component of the seismic retrofit was completed on a turnkey basis by WCC, with AEE providing full-time construction monitoring and quality control inspection and testing services.

Shotcrete mixture design and performance

Critical to successful implementation of the design was the achievement of a minimum direct bond tensile (pull-off) strength of 1.0 MPa. This was consistently achievec throughout the project, using a ready mix supplied, air-entrained, steel fibre reinforced, silica fume, wet-mix shotcrete (SFRS). Details of the shotcrete mixture design are given in Table 1. Shotcrete performance requirements are listed in Table 2. Also listed in Table 2 are the range of test results and average values obtained during either preconstruction or construction testing.

Construction

The Littlerock Dam is located in a dry desert area of the Angeles National Forest. When the project started, in September 1994, day-time temperatures would often reach 37 C and by the end of the project, at the beginning of December 1994, it was freezing overnight. Construction conditions were further complicated by strong hot dry desert winds that blow down the canyon in which the dam is located, on most afternoons.

The challenge was to develop a specification and then enforce a construction system which would provide for a fully bonded and essentially crack free shotcrete overlay. This was accomplished by the following procedures:

* The concrete on the barrel arches of the upstream face of the dam was sandblasted to provide a clean, exposed-aggregate textured surface with a minimum surface roughness profile of 5 mm; roughness was rigorously monitored with roughness profile gauges;

* 230 mm deep holes were drilled into the substrate concrete at 1.2 m on centres and L-shaped Grade 60, No. 4, bars epoxy grouted into the holes. Grade 60 No.3 bars were placed vertically and horizontally between anchors; this system serves to provide shear connection and anchorage for the SFRS.

* The prepared concrete was washed with firehoses to remove any residual sandblasting sand or dust and was maintained in a saturated condition for at least 24 hours prior to shotcrete application;

* The concrete surface was brought to a saturated surface dry (SSD) state immediately prior to shotcrete application (water pressure sprayers were used to fog the surface if it had dried back excessively; compressed air was used to blow off excess free surface moisture if necessary);

* The shotcrete was supplied by transit mixers and applied from boom lifts. Figure 2 shows this operation in progress;

* Immediately after shotcrete placement, the shotcrete was protected from plastic shrinkage cracking by combinations of fogging and misting, or spraying on a film evaporation retardant (This is very important with silica fume modified mixtures, as they do not bleed and are susceptible to plastic shrinkage cracking);

* The shotcrete was finished with long-handled bull-floats and trowels from a boom lift; it was prevented from drying out by fogging with a water pressure sprayer;

* Once the shotcrete had attained initial set it was covered with plastic coated water saturated burlap curing blankets; soaker hoses were mounted at the top of the curing blankets and the shotcrete was kept continuously saturated for a minimum of 7 days.

Summary

In all a total of 550 m3 of shotcrete were supplied to the project. The shotcrete was applied in 13 shifts. On peak-production days up to 55 m3 of SFRS was placed and finished in a day. The completed installation covered 4460 m2 and took 90 days to install, including all arch surface preparation, anchor system installations and shotcrete application ant testing. The sandblasting costs were C$50/m2. Shotcrete installation costs were C$45/m2. Total project costs, including design, construction, management and quality control were C$1,035,000.

The project was completed on time, within budget, and in conformance with the project specifications. In particular, the specified bond performance requirements were achieved and at the end of the project the shotcrete was crack-free. The use of a high performance steel fibre reinforced shotcrete and the regorous implementation of the specified curing regime were considered critical in ensuring successful completion of this project in a severe desert climate.

References

1. Wong, N.C., Forrest, M.P. and Lo, S.H., "Improving the Seismic Safety of a Historic Multiple-Arch Dam", International Congress on Large Dams, Durban, South Africa, Q.68, R89, 1994, pp. 1501-1519.

2. Morgan, D.R., Mindess, S., and Chen, L., "Testing and Specifying Toughness for Fibre Reinforced Concrete and Shotcrete", Second University-Industry Workshop on Fibre Reinforced Concrete and other Advanced Composites, Toronto, March 26-29, 1995, pp. 22.

Figure 1 : General view of shotcrete seismic retrofit of Littlerock Dam

Figure 2 : Shotcrete application to arch barrels; note the curing blankets

Table 1 : Shotcrete mixture design used in construction

Table 2 : Specified shotcrete performance requirements and actual performance

Alluvial Deposit Upstream of Littlerock Dam

These photos are from test pit explorations in the alluvial deposits upstream of Littlerock Dam, California. The test pits allow us to see the subsurface stratigraphy in more detail than is possible with conventional borings. Imagine trying to infer the stratigraphy using SPT samples taken every 1.5-m in boreholes spaced 15-30 m apart. This simple exercise is a valuable learning opportunity and worth repeating every time you come a across a cut-exposure of soil or rock. This is because Geotechnical engineers must understand the limitations of most site characterization methods for capturing certain subsurface details, and understand how the resulting uncertainties affect different design procedures.

This is a view of the valley floor upstream of Littlerock dam. The ground surface is comprised of sand and gravelly sand. A series of test pits were excavated in this area to determine the quantity and quality of aggregate materials that might be used in a roller compacted concrete modification of the existing dam.

Test pits were excavated by backhoe. This can be a very economical way of rapidly performing shallow explorations in undeveloped areas.

This test pit showed a sequence of gravelly sand, sand, and more gravelly sand. The gravel contents are relatively low in this test pit.

This test pit is perhaps 50-100 m away from the test pit shown above, and it encountered predominantly sandy gravels. There is substantially more gravel at this location, and there are occasional boulder- and cobble-sized particles.

This test pit is located between the above two test pits and towards the side of the valley. An organic soil layer (black) was encountered along with the sand and gravely sand layers. Common borehole sampling techniques with samples obtained at 1.5-m spacings or more could easily have missed this highly compressible layer. Organics are detrimental to roller compacted concrete applications, and thus identifying these layers was important to the project.

Courtesy of UC Davis Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Davis-Grunsky Facilities - Southern California

* Lake Jennings-Helix Water District-San Diego (619) 596-1304
* Miramar Reservoir-City of San Diego-(619) 538-8110
* Lopez Lake-San Luis Obispo County Parks (805) 489-1122
* Antelope Lake-LA County Parks (818) 364-9325
* Poway Reservoir-San Diego (858) 679-5470
* Dixon Reservoir-City of Escondido (760) 839-4240
* Yucaipa Reservoir-San Bernardino Valley (909) 387-9230
* Big Bear Reservoir-(909) 866-5796
* Littlerock Reservoir-Palmdale/Littlerock (805) 947-4111 Ext. 120

Detailed History of the Palmdale Water District

The Palmdale Water District evolved from several private water companies. The first water agency, the Palmdale Irrigation District, was established in 1886 to acquire land and water and then rent, lease, and sell both as they were developed. This agency constructed a 6.54-mile long, 6-foot deep by 8-foot wide, irrigation ditch from Littlerock to Palmdale as a means of providing water for these purposes.

The South Antelope Valley Irrigation District was formed in 1895. This District constructed several facilities, some of which are still used today. They constructed an 8.6-mile wooden flume and earthen ditch parallel to the first irrigation ditch. This wooden flume, or trestle, was reconstructed in 1938 and was just recently replaced with an underground canal as part of the renovation of Littlerock Dam. This irrigation ditch ran from what is now Littlerock Dam to a newly constructed dam and reservoir known as Harold Reservoir (known today as Palmdale Lake or Palmdale Dam).

Three other water agencies, the Alpine Springs Land and Water Company, the East Palmdale Water Company, and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District were formed during the late 1880's and early 1890's and began appropriating water from Littlerock Creek. The Littlerock Creek Irrigation District eventually acquired the facilities and assets of these other two agencies.

With these early developments, it became apparent in the early 1900's that one or more dams needed to be built on Littlerock Creek.

These local water companies, which by now had been consolidated into the Palmdale Water Company and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District, worked together to study options and costs involved to construct one or more dams on Littlerock Creek. With a proposed cost of approximately $300,000, it was determined that a public irrigation district would best finance this project.

Thus, the Palmdale Irrigation District (PID) was formed by a vote of the public in 1918. The District encompassed an area of over 4,500 acres and was formed to acquire the facilities of the Palmdale Water Company and, together with LCID finance and construct a dam on Littlerock Creek.

Construction of Littlerock Dam was completed in 1924. It was the highest reinforced concrete multiple arch dam in the world with a capacity of 4,200-acre feet of water. Much controversy surrounded the design of Littlerock Dam and in 1932 it was determined by the State that Littlerock Dam was an unsafe structure in its then-present condition, and renovations were ordered. By 1938, renovations had still not been completed and a two-day storm caused major damage to the Dam and spillway as well as the flume and ditch downstream of the Dam. Repairs were made to the spillway and repairs were made to the flume & wooden trestle. By 1940, the re-construction of Littlerock Dam was considered complete.

Over the years, sediment collected in Littlerock Reservoir reducing the amount of water the reservoir could hold. In addition, the State Division of Safety of Dams reduced the capacity of Littlerock Dam for safety concerns that the Dam would not withstand a major earthquake.

After World War II, standby water wells were developed to provide water during dry years.

Until the 1950's, the area within Palmdale Irrigation District's boundaries were primarily agricultural, however, with the activation of Air Force Plant 42 and the increased use of Edward's Air Force Base, agricultural use diminished and the shift to domestic water began.

In 1963, the Palmdale Irrigation District entered into an agreement to purchase water from the State Water Project, or 'Aqueduct'. Bonds were sold to rebuild Palmdale Lake to a capacity of 4,130-acre feet and to construct a treatment facility for the lake. As a result, Palmdale Irrigation District's service area grew to approximately 74,000 acres. In 1973, the name was changed to Palmdale Water District to reflect the shift from irrigation use to domestic water use.

From 1965 to 1985, water service grew from 4,100-acre feet per year to 8,062-acre feet per year and more than doubled in the five years after that. (An acre-foot of water is equal to the amount of water that will cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot. One family consumes approximately this much water in and around their home in one year!) The controversy over the safety of Littlerock Dam continued during this time.

To keep up with demand, PWD constructed a water treatment plant that would process 12 million gallons of water per day in 1987, and expanded the plant to 24 million gallons per day in 1991. Plans were also underway to rehabilitate Littlerock Dam to provide seismic safety.

In 1995, the rehabilitation of Littlerock Dam was completed. With this reconstruction, the spillway height was raised 12 feet, nearly doubling the capacity of Littlerock Reservoir.

Today, the District's boundaries include 187 square miles. The primary service area contains 35 square miles. The distribution system includes over 345 miles of pipeline ranging in size from 4 inches to 42 inches in diameter. PWD also operates 27 water wells, 10 booster pumping stations,and 19 reservoirs(storage tanks) with an overall storage capacity of 34.6 million gallons of water. The District also maintains two interconnections between our system and that of the Antelope Valley East-Kern Water Agency and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District, which can be used in an emergency to transfer water from one system to another.

In the past, all office work was performed on two bookkeeping machines. Today's modern technology includes updated phone lines, ATM service for payment of bills, bar-coding to speed-up processing of payments, along with other modern billing equipment. Day-to-day operations (and the customer database) are maintained on UNIX and NT Server platforms. The District's fleet of vehicles has grown from a handful to over 35 radio-equipped vehicles.

PWD currently serves 21,210 active customer connections and continues to receive water from three sources: Littlerock Dam, local groundwater, and the State Water Project.

The District's oldest pipes still in use are constructed of steel, which are part of the District's water main replacement program.

The District has come a long way since the days of wooden and earthen pipelines. Through regular maintenance and technology, PWD is continually striving to provide better service to you, the customer. At the same time, the District is able to achieve its objective of making available the highest quality water at the lowest possible cost.

palmdalewater.org

In 1987, after years of study, Palmdale Water District and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District decided to rehabilitate the dam in three phases. Following extensive environmental and design work, bids were opened for the first phase of the project in March 1993.

The first phase involved reinforcing the original multiple-arch construction with a roller-compacted concrete buttress. At the same time, the original dam was raised 12 feet, which thereby doubled the reservoir's capacity. Shotcrete with steel reinforcement was applied to the upstream surface of the dam, further strengthening the structure, but also improving its appearance cosmetically. Larger outlet pipes and controls were installed to provide greater safety when releasing stored water.

The second phase of construction provided new recreational facilities around the reservoir including: a new boat launching facility; improved picnic areas and campsites; an interpretive display center overlooking the dam; and improved parking and restroom facilities.

Dedication ceremonies were held June 23, 1995, marking the re-opening of the Littlerock Dam area, which had remained closed during the renovation construction process.

The final phase of construction included replacing a historic wooden trestle with an underground siphon.

Financed partly with funds from the Davis-Grunsky Act, California Department of Boating and Waterways, and the issuance of Certificates of Participation, the $22 million Littlerock Dam renovation project was completed. Key factors in its completion were cooperative efforts between local, state, and federal agencies.

Palmdale Water District and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District are proud of the renovation.

palmdalewater.org