Lake Sonoma

Lake Sonoma

The lake, just behind the Warm Springs Dam, which is to the right of this view
Location Sonoma County, California
Coordinates 38°43′05″N 123°00′34″W / 38.71806°N 123.00944°W / 38.71806; -123.00944Coordinates: 38°43′05″N 123°00′34″W / 38.71806°N 123.00944°W / 38.71806; -123.00944
Lake type reservoir
Primary inflows Dry Creek
Primary outflows Dry Creek[1]
Catchment area 130 sq mi (340 km2)[2]
Basin countries United States
Max. length 5.7 mi (9 km)[1]
Surface area 2,700 acres (1,100 ha)[3]
Water volume 381,000 acre·ft (0.470 km3)[2]
Shore length1 50 miles (80 km)[3]
Surface elevation 200 feet (61 m)[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Sonoma is a reservoir west of Healdsburg in northern Sonoma County, California, created by the construction of Warm Springs Dam. Access from U.S. Route 101 is by way of Dry Creek Road from Healdsburg.

The lake provides water for countywide growth and development, and for recreation. At full capacity, it has 50 miles (80 km) of shoreline, a surface area of more than 2,700 acres (11 km2),[3] and holds 381,000 acre feet (470,000,000 m3) of water.[2] Activities include boating, swimming, fishing, riding, hiking, camping, and hunting.[3] Notable features include the Milt Brandt Visitor Center, the adjacent Congressman Don Clausen Fish Hatchery, and the Warm Springs Recreation Area below the dam.

The US Army Corps of Engineers built Warm Springs Dam across Dry Creek. Completed in 1982, this rolled-earth embankment dam is 319 ft (97 m) high, 3,000 ft (900 m) long, and 30 ft (9 m) wide at the top. It contains 30,000,000 cu yd (23,000,000 m3) of earth.[2] The dam aids in flood control, and a hydroelectric plant produces electricity from the water released downstream. A minimum amount of flow must be maintained in Dry Creek to allow fish migration.

Pomo people had lived in the Dry Creek area since at least the 18th century, and some of them resisted the creation of the lake. Archaeologists at Sonoma State University have written about the prehistory and history of Warm Springs Dam, Lake Sonoma, and the Dry Creek Valley.[4]

Lake Sonoma

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake Sonoma
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Dams Owned and Operated by Federal Agencies" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Lake Sonoma: Welcome". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  4. ↑ "Before Warm Springs Dam". Sonoma State University Anthropological Studies Center.
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