Lake Success | |
---|---|
Location | Tulare County, California |
Coordinates | 36°04′N 118°55′W / 36.06°N 118.92°WCoordinates: 36°04′N 118°55′W / 36.06°N 118.92°W |
Type | reservoir |
Primary inflows | Tule River |
Primary outflows | Tule River |
Basin countries | United States |
Water volume | 82,000 acre·ft (101,000,000 m3) |
Lake Success is a lake near Porterville, California on the Tule River at 36°04′N 118°55′W / 36.06°N 118.92°W. It is formed by Success Dam and has a capacity of 82,000 acre feet (101,000,000 m3). The 156 feet (48 m) tall earth dam is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its construction was completed in 1961. The project's primary purpose is flood control, but the lake also provides water for irrigation and recreation.
In the science fiction novel Lucifer's Hammer, written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, fragments of a comet strike the Earth, causing massive tidal waves to destroy most of the planet's coastal cities. Los Angeles is completely destroyed, and the collapse of dams throughout California causes the San Joaquin Valley to become an inland sea. The collapse of Success Dam is witnessed by two of the characters. After the disasters subside, an enclave of civilization forms in the fictional "Silver Valley", located slightly east or northeast of Springville, just north of the Middle Fork of the Tule River.