Lake Casitas from the road
1,070 views · Published 5 January 2009 · 1:54 · Indexed 22 October 2026
Channel: Alan Heath · 2009 · Travel & Events
Lake Casitas is a lake in Ventura County, California. It was formed by Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek, 3 km before it joins the Ventura River. Santa Ana Creek and North Fork Coyote Creek also flow into the lake. The dam was constructed of earth-fill and was completed in 1959. It is 85 metres tall and was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The lake has a capacity of 313 million cubic metres (3.13 billion hectolitres). The dam was built as part of the Ventura River Project. The project provides drinking water and water for irrigation. A secondary benefit is flood control. Human contact with the water is prohibited since it is used for drinking water, but fishing, boating and camping are permitted. During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Lake Casitas hosted the canoeing and rowing events.
