By TR Robertson
Music and wine flowed on Saturday afternoon at the home of Board Member Maryam Ramin as the Friends of Lake Hodges hosted a Jam For the Dam fundraiser to support the proposed replacement of the 107-year-old Lake Hodges Dam. Friends of Lake Hodges Founder and Board President Rhonda Farrar greeted guests as they arrived and mingled around the outside pool area of the Escondido home. The Friends of Lake Hodges was founded in May 2022. Domaine Artefact, Old Survey Vineyards, Espinosa Vineyards, Miamarie Vineyards, Cordiano Winery, Myrtle Creek Vineyards and Winery, Orfila Vineyards and Winery, Highland Valley Vineyards, Speckle Rock Vineyards, and Altipiano Vineyards and Winery donated wines. Members of the Friends of Lake Hodges poured guests’ selections, and those attending could bid on various wines at the silent auction.
Board Member Brian Caldwell and fiddle player Paul Castellanos provided music for the event. Brian is the lead singer for the Celtic band Highland Way, a board member of Friends of Lake Hodges and active in various programs involving the wildlife and birds around Lake Hodges. Rhonda stepped up to the microphone mid-way through the event to thank those in attendance and explain the central concerns and projects associated with the need to replace the Lake Hodges Dam. She introduced District 5 San Diego City Council Member Marni von Wilpert, who also thanked the Friends of Lake Hodges for their hard work and her support of the need to replace Lake Hodges Dam.
The Friends of Lake Hodges website (www.friendsoflakehodges.org) states that they “support local government efforts to improve Lake Hodges Dam safety and capacity, water quality, wildlife habitat, and public access for the benefit of the community”. From a Fact Sheet that was available at the event, it states the Lake Hodges Dam is a 107-year-old dam, 131 feet high, 729 feet wide, and designed and built by John S. Eastwood between 1916 and 1918 at a cost of $1.1 million. In today’s dollars this would amount to around $25 million. The Dam is on the San Dieguito River which begins on Vulcan Mountain near Julian. The dam was financed by the Santa Fe Railroad and is named after the Vice President of the railroad company, William Hodges.
Today, the dam is owned by the City of San Diego. The San Diego Water Authority and downstream water districts have storage rights to the water in the Lake Hodges Reservoir. The current water level in the reservoir is restricted to 280 feet, 35 feet below the spillway crest as ordered by the 2023 State Division of Safety of Dams order. A 2022 inspection of the dam, by the DSOD, showed concerns with concrete deterioration, cracks, rebar exposure, and a hole in the dam face. It received an “Unsatisfactory” rating. Repairs in 2023 totaled $14 million. In 2024, GEI Consultants were contracted to begin designing a replacement dam. A new dam would be constructed 100 yards downstream from the current dam. It is planned to be 215 feet high and 740 feet wide. Estimated cost would be $230 million, with an additional $92 million contingency. San Diego Water Authority has withdrawn their support for the dam replacement due to the increase in cost for a replacement. The City of San Diego has hired GEI to consider alternatives with a report due the summer of 2026. The Friends of Lake Hodges support the complete Dam Replacement Project of this existing 107-year-old dam, due to a variety of reasons.
Lake Hodges is a popular spot for trail hiking, biking, bird watching, kayaking and picnicking. There are over 200 species of birds in and around Lake Hodges. Lake Hodges is also known for its Florida strain largemouth bass as well as catfish, crappie and bluegill fish. Also located on the lake is the David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Pedestrian Bridge, the world’s largest stress ribbon bridge (990 feet long). Several other Wildlife Projects the Friends of Lake Hodges supports include Kayaking for the Birds and Floating Nest Platforms for Grebes. These projects assist with the removal of fishing lines and lures that have accumulated over the years and building nesting platforms to help the Grebes during their migration.
If you would like to join, volunteer, donate or get more information about the Friends of Lake Hodges and the ongoing issues surrounding the issues surrounding Lake Hodges, the Lake Hodges Dam and the future of the replacement, go to www.friendsoflakehodges.org.
