SAN DIEGO - The dam being raised in the East County so it can hold more water for the city of San Diego has reached its maximum height of 337 feet, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Thursday.

The San Vicente Dam will be 117 feet taller than before, doubling its capacity, according to the agency.

The additional 152,100 acre-feet of water will allow the water authority, which wholesales to local water agencies, to store more rainfall during wet years to compensate for drier years.

The $568 million project, which started in 2009, is expected to be finished next year.

The prospect of additional water being available locally was one of the factors in the decision by Mayor Jerry Sanders, announced Wednesday, to not increase water rates next year.