Pilarcitos Creek
| Pilarcitos Creek | |
| Pillarcitos Creek, Arroyo de San Simon y San Judas, Arroyo de los Pilarcitos[1] | |
| stream | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Region | Santa Clara County |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Spring Valley Creek, Albert Gulch, Madonna Creek, Arroyo León |
| - right | Nuff Creek, Corinda Los Trancos Creek, Apanolio Creek |
| City | Half Moon Bay |
| Source | East slope of North Peak, Montara Mountain |
| - elevation | 1,430 ft (436 m) |
| - coordinates | 37°19′12″N 122°09′19″W / 37.32°N 122.15528°W [2] |
| Mouth | Half Moon Bay in the Pacific Ocean |
| - location | Half Moon Bay, California |
| - elevation | 0 ft (0 m) [2] |
| - coordinates | 37°28′31″N 122°26′59″W / 37.47528°N 122.44972°W [2] |
Pilarcitos Creek (Spanish for:Little Pillars or Pillaries Creek) is a 13.5-mile-long (21.7 km)[3] coastal stream in San Mateo County, California, USA, that rises on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains and descends through Pilarcitos Canyon[4] to discharge into the Pacific Ocean at Pilarcitos Creek Beach, a unit of Half Moon Bay State Beach.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Portolà expedition camped on the creek on October 28, 1769 and Father Juan Crespí named it Arroyo de San Simon y San Judas in honor of the Catholic Feast day for the Apostles Simon and Jude. The name Arroyo de los Pilarcitos meaning "creek of the little pillar-like rocks" was recorded in land grant papers as early as 1836.[1]
[edit] Watershed
The Pilarcitos Creek watershed drains 30 square miles (78 km2). The creek begins at 1,430 feet (440 m) on the south slope of Whiting Ridge 0.8 miles (1.3 km) east of the North Peak of Montara Mountain, flows east-southeast, to Pilarcitos Lake Reservoir where it is joined by Spring Valley Creek. Pilarcitos Dam was built in 1864 and two miles downstream Stone Dam was built in 1871.[5] Further downstream, Pilarcitos Creek is joined by Albert Gulch in Albert Canyon[6] at Highway 92. Albert Gulch is named for the ranch of the William C. Albrecht family, who lived here from the 1870's until 1954.[7] Here Pilarcitos Creek turns to flow southwest for 3 miles (4.8 km) to the community of Half Moon Bay. Along the way it is joined on the right (heading downstream) by Nuff Creek, Corinda Los Trancos Creek, and Apanolio Creek, then from the left by Madonna Creek and Arroyo León before heading and west-northwest for 3.2 miles (5.1 km) to enter Half Moon Bay and the Pacific Ocean at Elmar Beach.[2] The maximum rate of discharge was recorded as 4,750 cubic feet per second (135 m3/s).[8]
As early as 1860 a major diversion of Pilarcitos Creek was constructed to supply water to the burgeoning population of San Francisco.[9] Two different tunnels carry water east from Pilarcitos Lake Reservoir and Stone Dam Reservoir, respectively. At the present time Pilarcitos Creek not only continues to supply water to San Francisco via the Crystal Springs Reservoir, but it is also the principal source of potable water for the city of Half Moon Bay and coastside vicinity.
Jurisdiction over land use decisions in the lower creek regions is under the city of Half Moon Bay, who also administers provisions of California's Local Coastal Program; in the upper reaches land use decisions are with the San Mateo County.
[edit] Ecology
Pilarcitos is an anadromous Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) stream that has suffered severe degradation from pumping of groundwater, dumping of refuse, loss of riparian vegetation and high sediment loads from run-off and storm drains. The upper reaches are relatively pristine and continue to support spawning steelhead up to Stone Dam Reservoir, which forms an impassable barrier to trout attempting to spawn.[10] In the mid-1990s the Pilarcitos Creek Watershed Restoration Project was funded by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) and the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB). The Pilarcitos Creek Advisory Committee (PCAC) was formed to provide citizen input to the CDFG and RWQCB with the Restoration Project which resulted in the Pilarcitos Creek Restoration Plan in 1996. In 1999, the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District (SMCRCD) became responsible for implementing the Restoration Plan. The PCAC continued in its role as advisor and stakeholder advocate of issues concerning Pilarcitos Creek. The greatest limitation to steelhead is the drying of the creek in the summer, which is related to withdrawal of water from the upper watershed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). Steelhead trout young spend 1-2 years in freshwater before migrating out to the sea.[11]
Fecal coliform levels at the mouth periodically violate State of California water quality standards.[12]
The Pilarcitos Creek watershed holds a considerable biodiversity and is confirmed habitat for the endangered San Francisco garter snake.[13] Arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis) and Red alder (Alnus rubra) are the dominant riparian trees in the loasd watershed, with Coast Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) forest.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Erwin Gustav Gudde (1974). California Place Names. University of California Press. p. C-246. http://books.google.com/books?id=M-22djGNuhwC&pg=SL3-PA246&lpg=SL3-PA246&dq=gudde's+place+names+pilarcitos&source=bl&ots=-LJF-BUNIX&sig=hfZVcCYJDR3-w56KjKrNTWvlG2Q&hl=en&ei=G_5zTvbjF_LWiAL30u2zAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pilarcitos Creek
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 15, 2011
- ^ "Pilarcitos Canyon". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:252085.
- ^ San Francisco Peninsula Streams and Reservoirs, in WSIP Water Supply and System Operations – Setting and Impacts (Report). p. 5.5.1-5. http://www.sf-planning.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=7999. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Albert Canyon
- ^ Erwin Gustav Gudde, William Bright (1974). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. University of California Press. p. 7. ISBN 9780520242173. http://books.google.com/books?id=Kqwt5RlMVBoC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=albert+canyon+gudde's+place+names&source=bl&ots=3tnggcaZpU&sig=biN86B9ax3ZXgQd_Tre9td6k6eM&hl=en&ei=IiJ0Tp2UMKTXiALVrvGzAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ Coordinates and Stream Gauge Data for Pilarcitos Creek
- ^ Sierra Club: History of Pilarcitos Creek, San Mateo County, California
- ^ Gordon S. Becker, Katherine M. Smetak, David A. Asbury (2010-11). Steelhead/rainbow trout resources of San Mateo County (Report). http://www.cemar.org/SSRP/pdfs/SSRP_SanMateo.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ a b Philip Williams & Associates, Ltd. (2008-10-24). Pilarcitos Integrated Watershed Management Plan (Report). http://www.sanmateorcd.org/PilarcitosIntWtrshdMgmPlan_TxtFigs.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ Pilarcitos Creek: Map of Mouth and Water Quality Advisory Website
- ^ Biology and Limits of Vegetation, Pilarcitos Creek, Half Moon Bay, Earth Metrics Inc., city of Half Moon Bay report 10282, Oct.11, 1989
[edit] External links
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