Lake Casitas is a man-made lake in Ventura County, California, created by the construction of Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek, two miles (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 279ft and was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The lake has a capacity of 254000acre.ft. The dam was built as part of the Ventura River Project and was strengthened in June–December 2000 as a seismic improvement to help withstand earthquakes greater than 6.5. The project provides drinking water and water for irrigation. A secondary benefit is flood control. In the center of Lake Casitas is 2 km Main Island, whose peak rises more than 500ft from the lake surface.RegulationsHuman contact with the water is prohibited by the Board of Directors at the Casitas Municipal Water District. The board states that since the Lake is used for drinking water, body contact with water is not allowed, but fishing, boating, rowing and camping are permitted. During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Lake Casitas hosted the canoeing and rowing events. The lake was used as the site for filming the scenes of Camp Greenlake in the 19th century. The lake featured in the 2003 film Holes.
