Stevens Creek Reservoir

Stevens Creek Reservoir is an artificial lake located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains near Cupertino, California. A 1,063-acre (430 ha) county park surrounds the reservoir[1] and provides limited fishing[2][3] ("catch and release"), picnicking, hiking, and horseback riding activities. Although swimming is not allowed,[4] non-power boating (such as by kayak) is allowed for certain parts of the year. No powered boats or jet skis are allowed. All vessels must be inspected for invasive Quagga mussels prior to launch.[1]

Stevens Creek Reservoir
View from Zinfandel Trail, June 2008
Location of Stevens Creek Reservoir in California, USA.
Location of Stevens Creek Reservoir in California, USA.
Stevens Creek Reservoir
Location of Stevens Creek Reservoir in California, USA.
Location of Stevens Creek Reservoir in California, USA.
Stevens Creek Reservoir
LocationSanta Clara County, California
Coordinates37°17′38″N 122°04′47″W
TypeReservoir
Primary inflowsStevens Creek
Primary outflowsStevens Creek
Catchment area17.5 sq mi (45 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Managing agencySanta Clara Valley Water District
Surface area92 acres (37 ha)
Water volume3,138 acre⋅ft (3,871,000 m3)
Settlementsnone

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe eating advisory for any fish caught in Stevens Creek Reservoir due to elevated levels of mercury.[5]

History

The reservoir was formed by the Stevens Creek Dam, built in 1935 (1935) across Stevens Creek.[6] It is one of the smaller reservoirs owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.[7]

Originally named Arroyo de San José Cupertino, Stevens Creek flows into the reservoir and out of the dam to San Francisco Bay. Stevens Creek and the reservoir are named after Captain Elijah Stephens, who led the first wagon train across the Sierra Nevada in 1844 and settled in Cupertino.[6]

Stevens Creek Dam

Stevens Creek Dam is an earthen dam 132 feet (40 m) high and 1,080 feet (330 m) long. Its crest is 554 feet (169 m) above sea level. In 1985, the dam's height was raised 10 feet (3.0 m) to its present height with the addition of 231,000 cubic yards (177,000 m3) of material.[8]

Stevens Creek County Park

Stevens Creek County Park[1] is one of 28 Santa Clara County Parks.[9] The 1,063-acre (430 ha) park surrounds the reservoir, with the Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve adjacent to its east on the Montebello Ridge (also known as Black Mountain). An entrance to the park lies three miles from Interstate 280. Six miles of trails connect with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's Fremont Older Open Space Preserve.

Fishing

Bluegill, koi, common carp, largemouth bass, crappie, white catfish, native landlocked steelhead, and other species of fish live in the reservoir.[1] A few illegally stocked white sturgeon[10] have even been caught as recently as 2021, including one weighing over 50lbs in 2010. It can be fished only with a permit unless under the age of 16.[11]

While regulations permit the taking of fish, DFW recommends catch and release because of problems with the concentration of mercury and PCBs in the water.[3][12] The reservoir was historically stocked with farmed rainbow trout for recreational purposes, but this practice was discontinued after elevated levels of methylmercury were assessed. Fishing for trout at the reservoir is frowned upon since holdovers are likely endangered native steelhead.

See also

References
  1. "Stevens Creek County Park. Parks and Recreation". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  2. "Santa Clara County Parks: Fishing Guidelines". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-02. Mercury has been found to accumulate in Almaden, Calero, Guadalupe, Anderson and Stevens Creek Reservoirs at levels that make the fish unsafe to eat.
  3. Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department. "Mercury and PCBs Found In County Reservoirs". Retrieved 2017-07-05. ... fish sampled from Anderson and Stevens Creek reservoirs-as well as from eight other reservoirs in the Bay Area-exceeded human health guidelines for methylmercury, an organic form of mercury, and for polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a group of industrial chemicals.
  4. "Santa Clara County Parks: Swimming Restrictions". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-05. Swimming or wading is NOT permitted in County Parks.
  5. Admin, OEHHA (2009-03-18). "Stevens Creek Reservoir". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  6. "Stevens Creek Reservoir". Santa Clara Valley Water District. 2002. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  7. "Santa Clara Valley Water District: List of Reservoirs". Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  8. "Listing of Jurisdictional Dams in California" (PDF). California Department of Water Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  9. "Welcome to all 28 wild and wonderful parks of Santa Clara County. Parks and Recreation". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  10. "Stevens Creek: From the mountains to the bay". The Mercury News. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  11. "Sport Fishing Licenses and Report Cards". California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 2017-07-05. Every person must have the appropriate report card(s) in possession while fishing; including those who are not required to have a sport fishing license, such as individuals under 16 years of age, persons fishing or diving on free fishing days, and anglers fishing from a public pier in ocean waters.
  12. "California Fish Advisory Map". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
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