Mill Creek (Mono Lake)

Mill Creek is a 14.5-mile-long (23.3 km)[5] perennial stream that flows east from the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range into Mono Lake, in Mono County, California. It courses through Lundy Canyon[6] and Lundy Lake, before passing through Mono City, California on its way to Mono Lake.

Mill Creek
Beaver dam on Mill Creek in Lundy Canyon
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionMono and Tuolumne County
CityMono City
Physical characteristics
SourceLake Cascade
 • locationSierra Nevada
 • coordinates37°59′06″N 119°18′29″W
 • elevation10,400 ft (3,200 m)
MouthMono Lake
 • location
Mono City, California
 • coordinates
38°00′58″N 119°07′42″W[1]
 • elevation
6,378 ft (1,944 m)
Length14.5 mi (23.3 km)
Basin size24.7 sq mi (64 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationBelow Lundy Lake[2]
 • average25.6 cu ft/s (0.72 m3/s)[3]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightSouth Fork Mill Creek,[4] Deer Creek (Tehama County, California)

Watershed

Approximately 81 percent of the annual runoff of Mill Creek in the Mono Basin has been attributed to snowmelt, occurring from April through September, and the remaining 19 percent of the annual streamflow occurs as base flow from October through March.[7]

History

William O. Lundy obtained a timber patent here in 1880. The settlement near the May lundy Mine was first known as Mill Creek.[8] diverted to generate hydroelectric power in the early years of the 20th century. In 1911, the Lundy Project was completed and the dam raised the natural outlet of Lundy Lake 37 feet to an elevation of 7,803 feet so that hydroelectric power could be generated by the Southern Sierra Power Company.[7]

Ecology

It is controversial whether North American beaver (Castor canadensis) were native to Mill Creek and the Mono Basin. Beaver were introduced, or re-introduced, along Mill Creek in the Mono Basin by the California Department of Fish and Game in the 1950s. The population thrives above Lundy Reservoir for nearly the entire length of upper Lundy Canyon and in recent years has been spreading to nearby creeks, including Wilson Creek, DeChambeau Creek, and Lee Vining Creek.[7]

Hiking

The Lundy Canyon trail leads past several cascading waterfalls to Lake Helen, then becomes more moderate in the "20 Lakes Basin". Trails circle toward Saddlebag lake and to the foot of North Peak and Mount Conness on the Yosemite National Park boundary.[9]

See also

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mill Creek
  2. "USGS Gage #10287070 on Mill Creek below Lundy Lake near Mono Lake (Actual): Monthly Streamflow". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1969–1990. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  3. "USGS Gage #10287070 on Mill Creek below Lundy Lake near Mono Lake (Actual): Monthly Streamflow". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1969–1990. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  4. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: South Fork Mill Creek
  5. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 17, 2011
  6. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lundy Canyon
  7. Mark Drew; Holly Alpert; Rick Kattelmann; Austin McInerny (2011-01-06). Draft Inyo-Mono Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (PDF) (Report). Inyo-Mono Regional Water Management Group. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  8. Erwin G. Gudde; William Bright (2004). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. University of California Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-520-24217-3. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  9. "Lundy Canyon Trail". USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
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