Pilarcitos Creek

Pilarcitos Creek ("Spanish for:"Little Pillars or Pillaries Creek") (Latitude: 37°28'00"; Longitude: 122°25'59") is a coastal stream in San Mateo County, California, USA, that rises on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains and discharges to the Pacific Ocean. Specifically the creek discharges at Pilarcitos Creek Beach, a unit within Half Moon Bay State Beach; fecal coliform levels are monitored at this location and periodically violate State of California water quality standards. [ [http://www.earth911.org/waterquality/default.asp?beach_id=1074&station_id=1333&cluster=6081 Pilarcitos Creek: Map of Mouth and Water Quality Advisory Website] ] The maximum rate of discharge was recorded as 4750 cubic feet per second. [ [http://ca.water.usgs.gov/archive/waterdata/99/11162630.html Coordinates and Stream Gauge Data for Pilarcitos Creek] ] As early as 1860 a major diversion of Pilarcitos Creek was constructed to supply water to the burgeoning population of San Francisco. [ [http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/Pilarcitos_Watershed_Fact_Sheet_6.06.pdf Sierra Club: History of Pilarcitos Creek, San Mateo County, California] ] 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. The Pilarcitos Creek watershed holds a considerable biodiversity and is confirmed habitat for the endangered San Francisco garter snake. ["Biology and Limits of Vegetation, Pilarcitos Creek, Half Moon Bay", Earth Metrics Inc., city of Half Moon Bay report 10282, Oct.11, 1989]

Tributaries

*Corinda Los Trancos Creek
*Madonna Creek
*Apanolio Creek
*Nuff Creek
*Arroyo León
*Mills Creek

ee also

*Arroyo de en Medio
*Naples Creek

References