Santa Fe Dam, Flood control dam in Los Angeles County, United States

Santa Fe Dam is a flood control dam on the San Gabriel River in Los Angeles County, California. It holds back water during heavy rains and releases it in a controlled way to protect communities downstream.

Construction began in 1941 under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, mainly in response to the major floods on the San Gabriel River in 1938. Work stopped in 1943 and resumed in 1946 after World War II. The embankment and spillway were finished in early 1947, and the project was completed in January 1949 with the spillway gates, four months ahead of schedule.

The basin's 836-acre recreation area opened between 1976 and 1984, built jointly by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Los Angeles County under a 1976 lease. Its 70-acre lake offers boat rentals, fishing and a swimming beach, and the grounds keep California native plants and chaparral habitat conservation areas.

The area around the dam is open to the public and offers space for walking, fishing, and watching birds. Sturdy shoes are a good idea since the trails can be uneven depending on the season.

The basin behind the dam stays dry for most of the year and only fills with water after heavy rains. This dry storage approach is common in the western United States, where rain falls rarely but can come down fast and hard.