Lagunitas Creek

Geobox|River
name = Lagunitas Creek
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category = stream
etymology = Spanish
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country = United States
state = California
region = Marin County
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source = Mount Tamalpais
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source_elevation_imperial =
source_lat_d = 37 | source_lat_m = 56 | source_lat_s = 51 | source_lat_NS = N
source_long_d = 122 | source_long_m = 35 | source_long_s = 50 | source_long_EW = W
source_coordinates_note =gnis|254865|Lagunitas Creek]
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mouth = Tomales Bay
mouth_location =
mouth_region = | mouth_country =
mouth_elevation_imperial = 0
mouth_lat_d = 38 | mouth_lat_m = 4 | mouth_lat_s = 48 | mouth_lat_NS = N
mouth_long_d = 122 | mouth_long_m = 49 | mouth_long_s = 37 | mouth_long_EW = W
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length_imperial = 20 | length_orientation =
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watershed_imperial = 103
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Lagunitas Creek is a stream in Marin County, California and is a major supply of drinking water to the area. The 20-mile (32 km) long creek's headwaters are in the Coast Range and it flows into the Pacific Ocean, draining 103 square miles (267 square kilometers).

The creek's source is the northern slope of Mount Tamalpais, a few miles (~6-8 km) east of Bolinas Lagoon. The creek begins as three forks, the East Fork, Middle Fork and West Fork. After about a mile (1,600 m), they all flow into Lake Lagunitas, which drains into Bon Tempe Lake, which drains into Alpine Lake. Downstream of Alpine Lake, the creek flows roughly northwest until it reaches Kent Lake. Just downstream of Kent Lake, San Geronimo Creek joins the creek. Lagunitas continues northwest and is joined by its largest tributary, Nicasio Creek, which flows from Nicasio Reservoir, another water storage reservoir. Shortly after this confluence, Lagunitas turns westward and flows through the town of Point Reyes Station. On the west side of the town, the creek is joined by Olema Creek and turns northward, emptying into the wetlands at the south end of Tomales Bay.

Each of the reservoirs in the watershed has a dam and the biggest problem in the watershed is their blocking of the streams, which prevents fish migration and dewaters the streambed. Roy's Dam on San Geronimo Creek was built in the 1920s to supply water to a ranch. It was an obstacle for coho salmon and steelhead trying access to the habitat upstream of the dam for spawning. It was decided to lower the dam instead of completely removing it because of the large amount of sediment that had accumulated behind the dam. Erosion is also a significant problem in the watershed.

The Lagunitas Creek Watershed [http://www.museumca.org/creeks/1780-RescLagunitas.html] is home to the largest-remaining wild run of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Central California. These coho are part of the "Central California Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit," or CCC ESU, and are listed as "endangered" at both the state and federal level.

Significant efforts to protect and restore these fish have been underway in the Watershed since the 1980s. Fifty-percent of historical salmon habitat is now behind dams. Strong efforts are also being made to protect and restore undammed, headwater reaches of this Watershed in the San Geronimo Valley, where upwards of 40% of the Lagunitas Creek salmon spawn each year and where as much as 1/3 of the juvenile salmon (or fry) spend their entire freshwater lives. The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network ( [1] ) leads winter tours for the public to learn about and view these spawning salmon, and also leads year-round opportunities for the public to get involved in stream restoration, monitoring spawning and smolt outmigration, juvenile fish rescue and relocation in the summmer, and advocacy and policy development.

References

* [http://spawnusa.org/ Salmon Protection and Watershed Network]
* [http://www.tucalifornia.org/lagunitas.htm Trout Unlimited California]
* [http://www.museumca.org/creeks/1780-RescLagunitas.html Oakland Museum of California]
* [http://www.krisweb.com/biblio/lagunitas_mmwd_ettlingeretal_2000_cohospawn.pdf Klamath Resource Information System]

ee also

* List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area