Water + Life Museums

In 1995, excavation began on the largest earthworks project in United States history: the construction of Diamond Valley Lake. Working with the construction crews were large teams of archaeologists and palaeontologists who uncovered more than a million fossils and artefacts from previous cultures including mammoths and mastodons. With such a trove, it was decided that a museum would be built near the lake to display these fossils. The Water + Life Museums are actually two adjacent museums. The Western Center for Archaeology and Palaeontology displays both the fossils and the artefacts, as well as a few interesting multimedia displays. The Center for Water Education, directly north of the Western Center, showcases the history of water in Southern California. It also contains many displays on the flora and fauna found in the nearby lake. The complex is the first museum building to secure a Platinum LEED rating, doubly impressive considering the harsh desert environment.