Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve

About Us

Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve hosts over 670,000 visitors annually. The 190-acre Park has seven beautiful recycled water lakes that are stocked with sport fish year-round. Two million gallons of water each day is recycled at our Ray Stoyer Water Reclamation Facility north of Santee Lakes, and the water flows through Santee Lakes which creates a unique recreation area. In addition to the recreational benefit, our water recycling project diverts 2 million gallons of partially treated sewage from entering the Pacific Ocean every day. That’s 730 million gallons every year! After making its way through the Lakes, approximately 50% of the water is used at our local golf course, city parks and schools. This has increased the community’s water supply with no burden on taxpayers or ratepayers while reducing the wastewater stream and processing costs.

Amenities at Santee Lakes include camping, cabin rentals, fishing, boating, playgrounds, walking trails, facility rentals, special events, and approximately 230 bird species. Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve is owned and operated by Padre Dam Municipal Water District. It is self-sustaining, receiving no funds from water/sewer ratepayers or taxpayer subsidies. The Park operates from guest user fees, grants and awards, collaborations with community groups, and sponsorships.