Pilarcitos Creek
Encyclopedia
Pilarcitos Creek is a 13.5 miles (21.7 km) coast
al stream
in San Mateo County, California
, USA, that rises on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains
and descends through Pilarcitos Canyon to discharge into the Pacific Ocean
at Pilarcitos Creek Beach, a unit of Half Moon Bay State Beach
.
camped on the creek on October 28, 1769 and Father Juan Crespí
named it Arroyo de San Simon y San Judas in honor of the Catholic Feast day for the Apostles Simon and Jude. The name Arroyo de los Pilarcitos meaning "creek of the little pillar-like rocks" was recorded in land grant papers as early as 1836.
, flows east-southeast, to Pilarcitos Lake Reservoir where it is joined by Spring Valley Creek. Pilarcitos Dam was built in 1864 and two miles downstream Stone Dam was built in 1871. Further downstream, Pilarcitos Creek is joined by Albert Gulch in Albert Canyon at Highway 92
. Albert Gulch is named for the ranch of the William C. Albrecht family, who lived here from the 1870's until 1954. Here Pilarcitos Creek turns to flow southwest for 3 miles (4.8 km) to the community of Half Moon Bay
. Along the way it is joined on the right (heading downstream) by Nuff Creek
, Corinda Los Trancos Creek
, and Apanolio Creek
, then from the left by Madonna Creek
and Arroyo León
before heading and west-northwest for 3.2 miles (5.1 km) to enter Half Moon Bay and the Pacific Ocean at Elmar Beach. The maximum rate of discharge was recorded as 4750 cuft/s.
As early as 1860 a major diversion of Pilarcitos Creek was constructed to supply water
to the burgeoning population of San Francisco. Two different tunnels carry water east from Pilarcitos Lake Reservoir and Stone Dam Reservoir, respectively. 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.
(CDFG) and the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB). The Pilarcitos Creek Advisory Committee (PCAC) was formed to provide citizen input to the CDFG and RWQCB with the Restoration Project which resulted in the Pilarcitos Creek Restoration Plan in 1996. In 1999, the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District (SMCRCD) became responsible for implementing the Restoration Plan. The PCAC continued in its role as advisor and stakeholder advocate of issues concerning Pilarcitos Creek. The greatest limitation to steelhead is the drying of the creek in the summer, which is related to withdrawal of water from the upper watershed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
(SFPUC). Steelhead trout young spend 1-2 years in freshwater before migrating out to the sea.
Fecal coliform levels at the mouth periodically violate State of California water quality
standards.
The Pilarcitos Creek watershed
holds a considerable biodiversity
and is confirmed habitat
for the endangered San Francisco garter snake
. Arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis) and Red alder
(Alnus rubra) are the dominant riparian trees in the loasd watershed, with Coast Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) forest.
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
in San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
, USA, that rises on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
and descends through Pilarcitos Canyon to discharge into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
at Pilarcitos Creek Beach, a unit of Half Moon Bay State Beach
Half Moon Bay State Beach
Half Moon Bay State Beach is a stretch of protected beaches in Half Moon Bay, California. It includes:* Francis Beach,* Venice Beach,* Dunes Beach, and* Roosevelt Beach ....
.
History
The Portolà expeditionPortola expedition
250px|right|Point of San Francisco Bay DiscoveryThe Portolá Expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá from July 14, 1769 to January 24, 1770. It was the first recorded Spanish land entry and exploration of present day California, United States...
camped on the creek on October 28, 1769 and Father Juan Crespí
Juan Crespi
Father Juan Crespí was a Majorcan missionary and explorer of Las Californias. He entered the Franciscan order at the age of seventeen. He came to America in 1749, and accompanied explorers Francisco Palóu and Junípero Serra. In 1767 he went to the Baja Peninsula and was placed in charge of the...
named it Arroyo de San Simon y San Judas in honor of the Catholic Feast day for the Apostles Simon and Jude. The name Arroyo de los Pilarcitos meaning "creek of the little pillar-like rocks" was recorded in land grant papers as early as 1836.
Watershed
The Pilarcitos Creek watershed drains 30 square miles (77.7 km²). The creek begins at 1430 feet (435.9 m) on the south slope of Whiting Ridge 0.8 miles (1.3 km) east of the North Peak of Montara MountainMontara Mountain
Montara Mountain, positioned between the unincorporated community of Montara, California to the southwest and the city of Pacifica, California to the north, forms the northern spur of the Santa Cruz Mountains, a narrow mountain range running the length of the San Francisco Peninsula that separates...
, flows east-southeast, to Pilarcitos Lake Reservoir where it is joined by Spring Valley Creek. Pilarcitos Dam was built in 1864 and two miles downstream Stone Dam was built in 1871. Further downstream, Pilarcitos Creek is joined by Albert Gulch in Albert Canyon at Highway 92
California State Route 92
State Route 92 is an east-west highway in the San Francisco Bay area between Half Moon Bay near the coast in the west and downtown Hayward at its junction with State Route 238 and State Route 185. It is most notable for being the route that traverses the San Mateo Bridge. It has interchanges with...
. Albert Gulch is named for the ranch of the William C. Albrecht family, who lived here from the 1870's until 1954. Here Pilarcitos Creek turns to flow southwest for 3 miles (4.8 km) to the community of Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....
. Along the way it is joined on the right (heading downstream) by Nuff Creek
Nuff Creek
Nuff Creek is a stream in San Mateo County, California which is a tributary of Pilarcitos Creek....
, Corinda Los Trancos Creek
Corinda Los Trancos Creek
Corinda Los Trancos Creek is a stream in San Mateo County, California which is a tributary of Pilarcitos Creek....
, and Apanolio Creek
Apanolio Creek
Apanolio Creek is a southward-flowing stream in San Mateo County, California which is a tributary of Pilarcitos Creek....
, then from the left by Madonna Creek
Madonna Creek
Madonna Creek is a stream in San Mateo County, California which is a tributary of Pilarcitos Creek....
and Arroyo León
Arroyo León
Arroyo León is a stream in San Mateo County, California which is a tributary of Pilarcitos Creek.-See also:*List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area...
before heading and west-northwest for 3.2 miles (5.1 km) to enter Half Moon Bay and the Pacific Ocean at Elmar Beach. The maximum rate of discharge was recorded as 4750 cuft/s.
As early as 1860 a major diversion of Pilarcitos Creek was constructed to supply water
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
to the burgeoning population of San Francisco. Two different tunnels carry water east from Pilarcitos Lake Reservoir and Stone Dam Reservoir, respectively. At the present time Pilarcitos Creek not only continues to supply water to San Francisco via the Crystal Springs Reservoir
Crystal Springs Reservoir
Crystal Springs Reservoir is a pair of artificial lakes located in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains of San Mateo County, California situated in the rift valley created by the San Andreas Fault just to the west of the cities of San Mateo and Hillsborough, and I-280...
, but it is also the principal source of potable water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
for the city of Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....
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.
Ecology
Pilarcitos is an anadromous Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) stream that has suffered severe degradation from pumping of groundwater, dumping of refuse, loss of riparian vegetation and high sediment loads from run-off and storm drains. The upper reaches are relatively pristine and continue to support spawning steelhead up to Stone Dam Reservoir, which forms an impassable barrier to trout attempting to spawn. In the mid-1990s the Pilarcitos Creek Watershed Restoration Project was funded by the California Department of Fish and GameCalifornia Department of Fish and Game
The California Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of California, falling under its parent California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Game manages and protects the state's diverse fish, wildlife, plant resources, and native habitats...
(CDFG) and the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB). The Pilarcitos Creek Advisory Committee (PCAC) was formed to provide citizen input to the CDFG and RWQCB with the Restoration Project which resulted in the Pilarcitos Creek Restoration Plan in 1996. In 1999, the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District (SMCRCD) became responsible for implementing the Restoration Plan. The PCAC continued in its role as advisor and stakeholder advocate of issues concerning Pilarcitos Creek. The greatest limitation to steelhead is the drying of the creek in the summer, which is related to withdrawal of water from the upper watershed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a public agency of the City and County of San Francisco that provides water, wastewater, and power services to the City and an additional 1.6 million customers within three San Francisco Bay Area counties.The SFPUC manages a complex water supply...
(SFPUC). Steelhead trout young spend 1-2 years in freshwater before migrating out to the sea.
Fecal coliform levels at the mouth periodically violate State of California water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
standards.
The Pilarcitos Creek watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
holds a considerable biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and is confirmed habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
for the endangered San Francisco garter snake
San Francisco garter snake
The San Francisco Garter Snake is a slender multi-colored colubrid snake. Designated as an endangered species since the year 1967, it is endemic to California and resides only in San Mateo County, California, and the extreme northern part of coastal Santa Cruz County, California...
. Arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis) and Red alder
Red Alder
Alnus rubra, the Red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America.-Description:It is the largest species of alder in North America and one of the largest in the world, reaching heights of 20–35 m. The official tallest red alder stands 32 meters tall in Clatsop County, Oregon...
(Alnus rubra) are the dominant riparian trees in the loasd watershed, with Coast Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) forest.
See also
- List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Arroyo de en MedioArroyo de en MedioArroyo de en Medio is a coastal stream in western San Mateo County, California. Arroyo de en Medio rises on the western slopes of Montara Mountain and discharges to the Pacific Ocean at Half Moon Bay at the location of the unincorporated community of Miramar at Miramar Beach...
- Naples CreekNaples CreekNaples Creek is a stream in San Mateo County, California, USA that rises on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains and discharges to the Pacific Ocean. The specific point of discharge is onto Naples Beach, a unit of the Half Moon Bay State Beach...
- Frenchmans Creek