Country United States Type of dam Arch, constant-radius Height 11 m Create Lake Eleanor Construction began 1881 | Status Operational Length 140 ft (43 m) Opened 1889 Construction cost 500 USD (1889) | |
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Location Ventura County, California Owner(s) Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency | ||
The Banning Dam (National ID # CA00737; also known as Lake Eleanor Dam) is a gravity dam built in 1889, in the Santa Monica Mountains, near present-day Westlake Village, in Ventura County, Southern California.
Map of Banning Dam, Thousand Oaks, CA 91361, USA
Named for its builder, "Captain" William Banning, it impounds Eleanor Creek to form the recreational Lake Eleanor (not to be confused with Lake Eleanor in Tuolumne County, California, also a reservoir).
Although not a major dam, Banning Dam is among the oldest still standing in the state. Nearby Sherwood Dam dates from 1904. It is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Lake Sherwood. The structure is located within the Lake Eleanor Open Space. At 37 feet high, and 140 feet long at its crest, the dam is privately owned by the local Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency.