Public can watch dam-raising project

A web-based camera system will allow the public to watch the progress of a $450 million construction project to raise the height of the San Vicente Dam, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Thurday.

The dam’s height will go from 200 feet to 337 feet, making it the largest roller-compacted concrete dam raise in the world, according to the water authority. The project will more than double the capacity of the San Vicente Reservoir, allowing it to hold an additional 150,000 acre-feet of water.

The camera system compresses weeks of construction work into brief time-lapse videos and also posts two high-resolutions photographs every 30 minutes, Water Authority spokesman Jason Foster said.

It can be viewed at sdcwa.org/san-vicente-dam-raise.

“The value of this camera technology is that it helps the water authority document the historic record of this major construction project, while at the same time allowing members of the public to view its progress online,’” board Chairman Michael T. Hogan said.

“This dam raise will help protect the region’s economy, job base and quality of life by increasing the amount of water available for use within the county,’’ Hogan said.

Once the project is complete and the reservoir is refilled, the dam will be re-opened for recreational use, projected sometime between 2014 and 2017, depending on rainfall and supply and demand of water, said Foster.