Nicasio Reservoir is a shallow, man-made reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 in the Nicasio Valley region of Marin County, California

Marin County, California

Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It covers 845 acres (3.4 km²) and sits in a 35.9 square miles (93 km²) drainage basin. It was created by the construction of Seeger Dam on the Nicasio Creek

Nicasio Creek

Nicasio Creek is an stream in Marin County, California, United States which feeds into Lagunitas Creek. The Nicasio Reservoir, formed in 1961 by Seeger Dam, is located on this stream.-Course:...

 in 1961. Seeger Dam is a 115 feet (35.1 m) tall, 400 feet (121.9 m) long earthen dam owned by the Marin Municipal Water District

Marin Municipal Water District

The Marin Municipal Water District is the government agency that provides drinking water to southern and central Marin County, California. Chartered in 1912, it became California's first municipal water district...

.

Controversy

The construction in the dam aroused much controversy among longtime residents of the area. The Water District forced the displacement of many farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

s, including the McIsaac family farm and the Tomasini Ranch, on which the majority of the reservoir sits. The controversy stems from the fact the water from the reservoir is rarely used by the Water District, that the broad and shallow nature of the reservoir leads to quick evaporation, and that the dam has blocked valuable spawning areas for endangered species of salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

 and steelhead trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

. Construction of Seeger Dam wiped out the salmon population in Nicasio Creek. The District briefly attempted to trap salmon below the dam and transport them by truck further up Nicasio Creek

Nicasio Creek

Nicasio Creek is an stream in Marin County, California, United States which feeds into Lagunitas Creek. The Nicasio Reservoir, formed in 1961 by Seeger Dam, is located on this stream.-Course:...

 and Halleck Creek. However, the effort proved unsuccessful.

Ecology

A river otter

River otter

River otter may refer to:*River Otter, a river in Devon*European Otter*Japanese River Otter*Neotropical River Otter*North American River Otter, a common animal in North American waterways*Southern River Otter, found in Chile and Argentina...

 (Lontra canadensis) was collected by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology is a natural history museum at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. The museum was founded by philanthropist Annie Montague Alexander in 1908...

 at the southwest corner of Nicasio Reservoir

Nicasio Reservoir

Nicasio Reservoir is a shallow, man-made reservoir in the Nicasio Valley region of Marin County, California, United States. It covers and sits in a drainage basin. It was created by the construction of Seeger Dam on the Nicasio Creek in 1961...

 in January, 2008.

Recreational uses

The reservoir is used for recreational purposes; mainly fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 and hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

. Largemouth bass

Largemouth bass

The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...

, carp and catfish are caught in the lake. There are problems with illegal poaching.