San Felipe Lake

San Felipe Lake
Location of San Felipe Lake in California, USA.
Location of San Felipe Lake in California, USA.
San Felipe Lake
Location of San Felipe Lake in California, USA.
Location of San Felipe Lake in California, USA.
San Felipe Lake
Location6 miles (9.7 km) east-southeast of Gilroy in San Benito County, California
Coordinates36°58′49″N 121°27′44″W / 36.9803913°N 121.4622846°W / 36.9803913; -121.4622846[1]
TypeTectonic lake
Primary inflowsPacheco Creek
Max. length0.6 miles (0.97 km)
Max. width0.3 miles (0.48 km)
Max. depth18 feet (5.5 m)
Surface elevation144 feet (44 m)[1]

San Felipe Lake is a perennial natural lake located in the southern Santa Clara Valley, almost wholly in northern San Benito County with its western edge on the border with Santa Clara County, California.[2] The lake is a critical wetland, rare plant, and wildlife resource in need of additional conservation and enhancement.[3]

San Felipe Lake is the terminus of Pacheco Creek, which drains the western slope of California's Diablo Range. Its outflows once formed the beginning of the Pajaro River through a series of meandering sloughs and wetlands, but now flow through the Miller Canal, constructed in 1874, to the upper reaches of the river.[4] The Pajaro River, in turn, conveys its waters ultimately to Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: San Felipe Lake
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed February 6, 2016
  3. ^ Brian Mendenhall, Nick Mascarello, Olivia Cobb (2024). One Water Upper Pajaro Watershed Plan (PDF) (Report). San Jose, California: Valley Water. p. 79. Retrieved April 5, 2024.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ R. M. Grossinger; E. E. Beller; M. N. Salomon; A. A. Whipple; R. A. Askevold; C. J. Striplen; E. Brewster, and; R. A. Leidy (2008). South Santa Clara Valley Historical Ecology Study, including Soap Lake, the Upper Pajaro River, and Llagas, Uvas-Carnadero, and Pacheco Creeks. SFEI Publication #558 (Report). Oakland, California: San Francisco Estuary Institute. Retrieved March 20, 2024.

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