Escondido hires new consultant for Lake Wohlford Dam replacement
A new consulting firm is taking over construction management services for the city’s Lake Wohlford Dam Replacement Project. The Escondido City Council unanimously approved hiring GEI Consultants, Inc. for $12.9 million to continue construction management services for replacing the 129-year-old dam. Lake Wohlford Dam was first constructed with earth and rock in 1895 to a height of 76 feet. About 30 years later, the dam was raised to 100 feet using a slurry hydraulic fill process. In 2007, during a routine seismic evaluation of the dam, the California Division of Safety of Dams determined that the hydraulic fill section could liquefy and fail in the event of a greater than 7.5-magnitude earthquake along the Elsinore Fault. In response, the city lowered the water level of Lake Wohlford to prevent surpassing the original dam height of 76 feet.