Adobe Creek
Encyclopedia
Adobe Creek is a southward-flowing stream
in Sonoma County, California
, United States
which flows past the historic Rancho Petaluma Adobe
on its 7.5 miles (12.1 km) course to its confluence with the Petaluma River
. It has also been called Casa Grande Creek.
. It descends initially to the south, passing west of Petaluma Reservoir
and flowing under Manor Lane. Just east of Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park, it bends toward the southwest and crosses Adobe Road. From there, the creek follows Casa Grande Road, crossing under the road twice as it winds in and out of Adobe Creek Golf Club, crosses Ely Boulevard, and runs along the eastern edge of Del Oro Park. It flows under Lakeville Highway (State Route 116
) at milepost 36.19, crosses South McDowell Boulevard, and enters the Petaluma River about 1 miles (1.6 km) southeast of the U.S. 101 bridge.
since 1995. Lafferty Ranch has been proposed for a wilderness park, but is not accessible to the public. Petaluma Reservoir
(which formerly provided water for the city of Petaluma) is located in the Adobe Creek watershed.
(Pseudotsuga menziessi) and Willow
(Salix) trees to shade and cool the waters. They successfully lobbied Petaluma City Hall officials to re-open Lawler Dam, which was hardly used and kept water from the creek much of the year. In October 1992 Adobe Creek was restored as a free-running stream for the first time in eight decades. The next year, hundreds of steelhead fingerlings were counted in Adobe Creek and the native steelhead population has recovered without restocking. Genetic analysis has proved that the Steelhead trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) that spawn and rear in the Petaluma River watershed are wild, not hatchery, stock. In 1990, five Chinook salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returned to spawn in Adobe Creek, the first time documented in a century. In 1993 the organization constructed a salmon hatchery at the high school. In 1996, the creek was the subject of a habitat restoration project which built a step pool near Adobe Road for the benefit of migratory fish. In 2001, students studied the creekbed during low summer flows, and made the scientific discovery that Steelhead fry spend the summer in the creek substrate, re-emerging when flows become reestablished. In 2002, a record 74 Chinook salmon return to spawn along with native Steelhead trout who continue to use the creek annually.
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 Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
which flows past the historic Rancho Petaluma Adobe
Rancho Petaluma Adobe
Rancho Petaluma Adobe is the name of a historic ranch house built from adobe bricks that was owned and constructed by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, commandant of the Sonoma Pueblo from 1834 to 1857. It is the largest example of the Monterey Colonial style of architecture in the United States...
on its 7.5 miles (12.1 km) course to its confluence with the Petaluma River
Petaluma River
The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough near its mouth. It springs from farmlands southwest of Cotati and flows generally southward through Petaluma's old town and of tidal marshes to end in northwest San Pablo Bay.-History:The word...
. It has also been called Casa Grande Creek.
Course
Adobe Creek rises on the west flank of Sonoma MountainSonoma Mountain
Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. At elevation of , Sonoma Mountain offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sonoma Valley to the east...
. It descends initially to the south, passing west of Petaluma Reservoir
Petaluma Reservoir
Petaluma Reservoir is a small, man-made lake located about northeast of Petaluma in Sonoma County, California, United States. Also known as Lawler Reservoir, its waters are impounded by Lawler Dam, a rock fill dam high and long which was built in 1910...
and flowing under Manor Lane. Just east of Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park, it bends toward the southwest and crosses Adobe Road. From there, the creek follows Casa Grande Road, crossing under the road twice as it winds in and out of Adobe Creek Golf Club, crosses Ely Boulevard, and runs along the eastern edge of Del Oro Park. It flows under Lakeville Highway (State Route 116
California State Route 116
State Route 116 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Sonoma County. The route runs from State Route 1 on the Pacific coast near Jenner to State Route 121 south of Sonoma.-Route description:...
) at milepost 36.19, crosses South McDowell Boulevard, and enters the Petaluma River about 1 miles (1.6 km) southeast of the U.S. 101 bridge.
Watershed
Adobe Creek drains an area of about 10 square miles (26 km²). Its headwaters lie in Lafferty Ranch, a 270 acres (1.1 km²) parcel of land owned by the City of PetalumaPetaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
since 1995. Lafferty Ranch has been proposed for a wilderness park, but is not accessible to the public. Petaluma Reservoir
Petaluma Reservoir
Petaluma Reservoir is a small, man-made lake located about northeast of Petaluma in Sonoma County, California, United States. Also known as Lawler Reservoir, its waters are impounded by Lawler Dam, a rock fill dam high and long which was built in 1910...
(which formerly provided water for the city of Petaluma) is located in the Adobe Creek watershed.
Ecology
In 1983 a high school student group organized by school instructor Tom Furrer founded United Anglers of Casa Grande High School to restore Adobe Creek stream habitat and to see if they could restore Steelhead trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) populations. At that time Adobe Creek was considered a "dead stream" and was a dry, littered riverbed most of the year, although tiny steelhead trout could be found in occasional shallow, drying pools. The students hauled truckloads of trash out of the creek and planted thousands of Coast Douglas-firCoast Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii, known as Douglas-fir, Oregon Pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer species native to western North America. Its variety Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, also known as coast Douglas-fir grows in the coastal regions, from west-central British Columbia, Canada...
(Pseudotsuga menziessi) and Willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
(Salix) trees to shade and cool the waters. They successfully lobbied Petaluma City Hall officials to re-open Lawler Dam, which was hardly used and kept water from the creek much of the year. In October 1992 Adobe Creek was restored as a free-running stream for the first time in eight decades. The next year, hundreds of steelhead fingerlings were counted in Adobe Creek and the native steelhead population has recovered without restocking. Genetic analysis has proved that the Steelhead trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) that spawn and rear in the Petaluma River watershed are wild, not hatchery, stock. In 1990, five Chinook salmon
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returned to spawn in Adobe Creek, the first time documented in a century. In 1993 the organization constructed a salmon hatchery at the high school. In 1996, the creek was the subject of a habitat restoration project which built a step pool near Adobe Road for the benefit of migratory fish. In 2001, students studied the creekbed during low summer flows, and made the scientific discovery that Steelhead fry spend the summer in the creek substrate, re-emerging when flows become reestablished. In 2002, a record 74 Chinook salmon return to spawn along with native Steelhead trout who continue to use the creek annually.
Bridges
At least six bridges span Adobe Creek:- Manor Lane crosses 0.77 miles (1.2 km) north of Adobe Road on a 32 feet (10 m) concrete slab built in 1960.
- Casa Grande Avenue crosses the creek twice:
- first (0.25 mile (0.402335 km) south of Adobe Road) on a 30 feet (9 m) concrete culvert built in 1970
- and again (0.4 mile (0.643736 km) north of Ely Road) on a 45 feet (14 m) concrete culvert built in 1970 and reconstructed in 1991.
- Ely Boulevard crosses 0.1 mile (0.160934 km) southeast of Casa Grande Avenue on a 54 feet (16 m) concrete continuous slab built in 1984.
- Sartori Drive crosses 0.2 mile (0.321868 km) southeast of Casa Grande Avenue on a 54 feet (16 m) concrete continuous slab built in 1976.
- State Route 116 crosses at milepost 36.19 on a 33 feet (10 m) concrete continuous slab built in 1954 and reconstructed in 1997.