Following damages incurred by the dam itself during the 1952 Kern County earthquake and growing concerns over its structural integrity , the reservoir was drained in 1966 . Since the early 1970s , efforts had been made to refill the reservoir but these plans have since been abandoned due to high costs . In the decades that followed , the suburban communities of Santa Clarita had grown northward to fill the narrow valley just downstream . The course of Dry Canyon Creek south of the reservoir was then funneled down a concrete wash to prevent flooding of the surrounding communities
1952 Kern County earthquake
1952 Kern County earthquake
Dry Canyon Reservoir