Vasona Reservoir

Vasona Reservoir
June 2006
Location of Vasona Reservoir in California, USA.
Location of Vasona Reservoir in California, USA.
Vasona Reservoir
Location of Vasona Reservoir in California, USA.
Location of Vasona Reservoir in California, USA.
Vasona Reservoir
LocationLos Gatos, California
Coordinates37°14′48″N 121°57′54″W / 37.2466667°N 121.96500°W / 37.2466667; -121.96500[1]
TypeReservoir
Primary inflowsLos Gatos Creek[2]
Primary outflowsLos Gatos Creek
Catchment area44.2 sq mi (114 km2)[3]
Basin countriesUnited States
Managing agencySanta Clara Valley Water District
Surface area57 acres (23 ha)
Water volume495 acre⋅ft (611,000 m3)
References[3][1][2]

Vasona Reservoir is an artificial lake located in Los Gatos, California, United States. A 152-acre (62 ha) county park surrounds the reservoir[4] and provides limited fishing[5][6] ("catch and release"), picnicking, and informal play activities. Although swimming is not allowed,[7] human-powered boating is permitted in the reservoir.[8]

History

The reservoir was formed by the Vasona Percolating Dam, built in 1935 (89 years ago) (1935) across Los Gatos Creek.[9] It is the smallest reservoir owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.[10]

Albert August Vollmer, who came to the area in 1887, named the area after a pony he had had as a child.[9]

Vasona Dam

Vasona Dam is an earthen dam 34 feet (10 m) high and 1,000 feet (300 m) long. Its crest is 307 feet (94 m) above sea level.[3] New gates were installed in the dam in 1997.[9]

Vasona Lake County Park

Vasona Lake County Park[4] is one of 28 Santa Clara County Parks.[11] The 152-acre (62 ha) park surrounds the reservoir, with Oak Meadow Park adjacent to the west. The reservoir offers fishing for black bass, crappie, catfish and bluegill.[4][12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Vasona Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b "Los Gatos Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ a b c "Listing of Jurisdictional Dams in California" (PDF). California Department of Water Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  4. ^ a b c "Vasona Lake County Park". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  5. ^ Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department. "Mercury and PCBs Found In County Reservoirs". Retrieved 2017-07-05. ... fish sampled from Anderson and Stevens Creek reservoirs-as well as from eight other reservoirs in the Bay Area-exceeded human health guidelines for methylmercury, an organic form of mercury, and for polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a group of industrial chemicals.
  6. ^ Admin, OEHHA (2014-12-30). "Vasona Lake and Camden Ponds". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  7. ^ "Santa Clara County Parks: Swimming Restrictions". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-05. Swimming or wading is NOT permitted in County Parks.
  8. ^ "Boating Guidelines". Los Gatos - Saratoga Community Recreation and Education. Retrieved 2017-07-06. Hours of Operation: Weekends (Saturday & Sunday) April 16th- October 8th, 2017 / 11:00am-6:00pm - last rental at 5:00pm ; Weekdays (Monday - Friday) May 29th - August 25th, 2017 - 11:00am-5:00pm - last rental at 4:00pm
  9. ^ a b c "Vasona Dam and Reservoir". Santa Clara Valley Water District. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  10. ^ "Santa Clara Valley Water District: List of Reservoirs". Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  11. ^ "Welcome to all 28 wild and wonderful parks of Santa Clara County. Parks and Recreation". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  12. ^ "Sport Fishing Licenses and Report Cards". California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 2017-07-05. Every person must have the appropriate report card(s) in possession while fishing; including those who are not required to have a sport fishing license, such as individuals under 16 years of age, persons fishing or diving on free fishing days, and anglers fishing from a public pier in ocean waters.


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