Coyote Creek
Encyclopedia
Coyote Creek is a river
that flows through the Santa Clara Valley
in California
, United States
.
Expedition reached it on Sunday, March 31, 1776.
. The river's main source is on Mount Sizer
near Henry W. Coe State Park
and the surrounding hills in the Diablo Range
, northeast of Morgan Hill, California
. At the base of the Diablo Range, the creek is impounded by two dams, first Coyote Reservoir and then Anderson Reservoir
. Nine major tributaries lie within the area that drains to these two reservoirs: Canada de los Osos, Hunting Hollow, Dexter Canyon, and Larios Canyon Creeks drain to Coyote Reservoir; Otis Canyon, Packwood, San Felipe, Las Animas, and Shingle Valley Creeks drain to Anderson Reservoir. Coyote Reservoir Dam was built across the active 1000-ft wide trace of the Calaveras fault by the Santa Clara Valley Water District
(SCVWD) between 1934–36, storing 10000 acre.ft of water. From Anderson Reservoir Coyote Creek continues from Morgan Hill
through Coyote
into San Jose
. As Coyote Creek forms the eastern boundary of downtown San Jose
, it winds its way into North San Jose. There, Miguelita Creek, Penitencia Creek, and Berryessa Creek are all tributaries. Coyote Creek then bypasses the Newby Island landfill and empties into the San Francisco Bay
.
There is a chain of parks along Coyote Creek called the Coyote Creek Park Chain. The feasibility of a trail connecting the parks within this chain to Almaden Park was first examined in 1989.
The river is managed by the SCVWD. In 1983, torrential rains caused by el Niño resulted in significant flooding of Coyote Creek in the Alviso neighborhood. The SCVWD, with advice from Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative (WMI) stakeholders, produced a stream stewardship plan for the Coyote Creek watershed in 2002. The plan includes over sixty projects to benefit flood protection, habitat enhancement, parks, and trails.
The Silver Creek Fault
runs generally parallel to Coyote Creek.
Because Coyote Reservoir Dam was built right across the Calavaras fault and there is a substantial risk of a seismic-triggered landslide on the east side of the reservoir at the dam site, an earthquake could cause failure of this dam upstream of the Anderson Dam, and the release of water could increase risk of failure of the Anderson Dam.
(Lampetra tridentata), steelhead/resident rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), chinook salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), California roach
, Hitch
(Lavinia exilicauda), Sacramento blackfish
(Orthodon microlepidotus), Sacramento pikeminnow, Sacramento sucker
, three-spined stickleback
, prickly sculpin
(Cottus asper), riffle sculpin
(Cottus gulosus), staghorn sculpin, and tule perch
(Hysterocarpus traskii). Three species, the thicktail chub, splittail, and Sacramento perch have been extirpated from the drainage; the thicktail chub is extinct.
A 1962 report indicated that Coyote Creek, from its mouth to the headwaters in Henry Coe State Park, was an historical migration route for steelhead trout. SCVWD studies have shown that Standish Dam and percolation ponds have posed barriers to outmigrating trout. Based on these results, Standish Dam has not been installed since 2000. The on-channel percolation ponds constructed on Coyote Creek severely degrade steelhead habitat by harboring non-native fish predators, such as largemouth bass
(Micropterus salmoides) which prey on salmonid fingerlings, and also by releasing warm water flows. Moving Ogier Ponds and Metcalf Percolation Ponds off-channel would significantly enhance rearing habitat for steelhead.
Coho salmon
(Oncorhynchus kisutch) were present in the Coyote Creek watershed until the 1950s, suggesting that some spawning and rearing habitat was located in the watershed downstream from Coyote Reservoir which was completed in 1936 (blocking access to 310 square kilometers of upstream watershed). Historically, suitable habitat for coho salmon in the Coyote Creek watershed was likely restricted to the San Felipe Creek and Upper Penitencia Creek watersheds and possibly perennial reaches of Coyote Creek, and a few spring-fed tributaries upstream from Gilroy Hot Springs. Assuming the Coyote Percolation Reservoir was not a
complete barrier to coho salmon; the construction of Anderson Dam in 1950 would have
eliminated any coho salmon that occurred in the San Felipe Creek watershed that now
flows into Anderson Reservoir. However, if the Coyote Creek Percolation Reservoir
were a migration barrier, then only Upper Penitencia Creek would have provided
suitable habitat for coho salmon after 1934. San Felipe Creek currently contains habitat potentially suitable to coho salmon with low stream temperatures related to cool groundwater discharges in the Calaveras Fault zone. During early June and late-July 1997, the senior author
recorded water temperatures within the San Felipe Creek watershed within pools
containing rainbow trout between 11-13.3°C and 14.4-17.7°C, respectively. Zones of
groundwater discharge along the Calaveras Fault zone that traverses the watershed
maintain cool summer water temperatures. Upper Penitencia Creek, which enters lower Coyote Creek near its mouth and drains the steep coastal hills to the east also may have contained suitable coho salmon habitat.
The Chinook salmon run in Coyote Creek may be the last viable run in the South Bay, since the breeding salmon in the Guadalupe River
have severely declined subsequent to installation of extensive concrete channels in the river in downtown San Jose, California
by the SCVWD. These are “fall run” fish primarily adapted to the Sacramento
and San Joaquin
River watersheds. Since chinook salmon spawn in early winter and juveniles migrate to the ocean in their first spring, they are able to use habitats that turn very warm or have low water quality in summer.
Historically, Golden beaver (Castor canadensis subauratus) lived in Coyote Creek. This report is consistent with Alexander R. McLeod's report on the progress of the first Hudson's Bay Company fur brigade sent to California in 1829, "Beaver is become an article of traffic on the Coast as at the Mission of St. Joseph alone upwards of Fifteen hundred Beaver Skins were collected from the natives at a trifling value and sold to Ships at 3 Dollars". Physical proof of Golden beaver in south San Francisco Bay tributaries is a Castor canadensis subauratus skull in the Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History collected by zoologist James Graham Cooper
in Santa Clara, California
on Dec. 31, 1855.
A 1995 study showed high levels of toxic substances in receiving waters and sediments along urban areas of the creek versus undeveloped areas. This correlates to the density of storm drains suggesting that the pollution is from urban run-off.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
that flows through the Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Coyote Creek was originally named Arroyo del Coyote by Padre Pedro Font when the de AnzaJuan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
Expedition reached it on Sunday, March 31, 1776.
Watershed
Although it is called a "creek", Coyote Creek is actually a river draining 320 square miles (828.8 km²) and running 63.6 miles (102.4 km) from the confluence of its East Fork and Middle Fork to southeast San Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The river's main source is on Mount Sizer
Mount Sizer
Mount Sizer is a prominent peak located on Blue Ridge in Henry W. Coe State Park, just east of Morgan Hill, California. Because Mount Sizer is the highest point on Blue Ridge and under miles from the park's headquarters, it makes it an ideal destination for day hikers. There are two ways to reach...
near Henry W. Coe State Park
Henry W. Coe State Park
Henry W. Coe State Park is a California state park located in Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties. It contains over 86,000 acres , making it the largest state park in northern California, and the second-largest in the state...
and the surrounding hills in the Diablo Range
Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges. It is located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California, the United States.-Geography:...
, northeast of Morgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California, United States. Founded on November 10, 1906, the city was named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Franciscan who built a country retreat home there in 1884...
. At the base of the Diablo Range, the creek is impounded by two dams, first Coyote Reservoir and then Anderson Reservoir
Anderson Reservoir
Anderson Reservoir is a man-made lake along Coyote Creek in Santa Clara County, California, near Morgan Hill. Anderson Dam was built in 1950 to provide drinking water for Santa Clara county; the lake has also become a source of recreation to nearby residents. Anderson Reservoir is the largest...
. Nine major tributaries lie within the area that drains to these two reservoirs: Canada de los Osos, Hunting Hollow, Dexter Canyon, and Larios Canyon Creeks drain to Coyote Reservoir; Otis Canyon, Packwood, San Felipe, Las Animas, and Shingle Valley Creeks drain to Anderson Reservoir. Coyote Reservoir Dam was built across the active 1000-ft wide trace of the Calaveras fault by the Santa Clara Valley Water District
Santa Clara Valley Water District
The Santa Clara Valley Water District provides stream stewardship, wholesale water supply and flood protection for Santa Clara County, California, in the southern San Francisco Bay Area. The district encompasses all of the county’s and serves the area’s 15 cities, 1.7 million residents and more...
(SCVWD) between 1934–36, storing 10000 acre.ft of water. From Anderson Reservoir Coyote Creek continues from Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California, United States. Founded on November 10, 1906, the city was named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Franciscan who built a country retreat home there in 1884...
through Coyote
Coyote, California
Coyote, originally Burnett is an unincorporated community in a narrowing of Santa Clara Valley astride Coyote Creek, between San Jose and Morgan Hill, in Santa Clara County, California. Its ZIP Code is 95013; there is a small U.S. Post Office....
into San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. As Coyote Creek forms the eastern boundary of downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose is the central business district of San Jose, California, United States. The area is generally located north of Interstate 280 and east of Guadalupe Parkway, which roughly parallels the Guadalupe River. The region is bound to the north by U.S...
, it winds its way into North San Jose. There, Miguelita Creek, Penitencia Creek, and Berryessa Creek are all tributaries. Coyote Creek then bypasses the Newby Island landfill and empties into the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
.
There is a chain of parks along Coyote Creek called the Coyote Creek Park Chain. The feasibility of a trail connecting the parks within this chain to Almaden Park was first examined in 1989.
The river is managed by the SCVWD. In 1983, torrential rains caused by el Niño resulted in significant flooding of Coyote Creek in the Alviso neighborhood. The SCVWD, with advice from Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative (WMI) stakeholders, produced a stream stewardship plan for the Coyote Creek watershed in 2002. The plan includes over sixty projects to benefit flood protection, habitat enhancement, parks, and trails.
The Silver Creek Fault
Silver Creek Fault
The Silver Creek Fault is a potentially seismically active northwest-southeast trending geological fault structure in Santa Clara County, California...
runs generally parallel to Coyote Creek.
Risk of Anderson Dam Failure from Earthquakes
Updated findings from an ongoing study of Anderson Dam were released in October, 2010 indicated that the dam could fail if a magnitude 7.25 earthquake occurred within 2 kilometers of the dam, potentially releasing a wall of water 35 feet high into downtown Morgan Hill in 14 minutes, and 8 feet deep into San Jose within three hours. In response SCVWD has lowered the water to 54% full, which is 60 feet below the dam crest. According to the SCVWD, remediation of the problem will likely require lengthy construction that would take up to six years and cost as much as $100 million.Because Coyote Reservoir Dam was built right across the Calavaras fault and there is a substantial risk of a seismic-triggered landslide on the east side of the reservoir at the dam site, an earthquake could cause failure of this dam upstream of the Anderson Dam, and the release of water could increase risk of failure of the Anderson Dam.
Habitat and Wildlife
Coyote Creek has historically, and still does support the most diverse fish fauna among the Santa Clara Valley Basin watersheds. It supports 10 to 11 native fish species out of the original 18. Species known to occur currently include Pacific lampreyPacific lamprey
The Pacific lamprey is an anadromous parasitic lamprey from the Pacific Coast of North America and Asia. It is also known as the three tooth lamprey and tridentate lamprey.-Biology:...
(Lampetra tridentata), steelhead/resident rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), 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), California roach
California roach
The California roach, Hesperoleucus symmetricus, is a cyprinid fish native to western North America and abundant in the intermittent streams throughout central California. It is the sole member of its genus....
, Hitch
Lavinia exilicauda
The hitch Lavinia exilicauda is a cyprinid fish endemic to central California, and once very common. The name is derived from the Pomoan word for this species....
(Lavinia exilicauda), Sacramento blackfish
Sacramento Blackfish
The Sacramento blackfish, Orthodon microlepidotus, is a cyprinid fish of central California. It is the sole member of its genus.Blackfish are distinctive for their overall dark color . Younger individuals are more silvery, but darken as they age. The scales are unusually small, counting 90-114...
(Orthodon microlepidotus), Sacramento pikeminnow, Sacramento sucker
Catostomidae
Catostomidae is the sucker family of the order Cypriniformes. There are 80 species in this family of freshwater fishes. Catostomidae are found in North America, east central China, and eastern Siberia...
, three-spined stickleback
Three-spined stickleback
The three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is a fish native to much of northern Europe, northern Asia and North America. It has been introduced into parts of southern and central Europe.-Distribution and morphological variation:...
, prickly sculpin
Cottus (genus)
Cottus is a genus of the sculpin family Cottidae. It is often referred to as the "freshwater sculpins", as the principal genus of sculpins to be found in fresh water.They are mostly small fish, rarely reaching more than 15 cm in length.-Species:...
(Cottus asper), riffle sculpin
Cottus (genus)
Cottus is a genus of the sculpin family Cottidae. It is often referred to as the "freshwater sculpins", as the principal genus of sculpins to be found in fresh water.They are mostly small fish, rarely reaching more than 15 cm in length.-Species:...
(Cottus gulosus), staghorn sculpin, and tule perch
Tule perch
The tule perch Hysterocarpus traskii is a surfperch native to the rivers and estuaries of central California, United States of America. It is the sole member of its genus, and the only freshwater surfperch....
(Hysterocarpus traskii). Three species, the thicktail chub, splittail, and Sacramento perch have been extirpated from the drainage; the thicktail chub is extinct.
A 1962 report indicated that Coyote Creek, from its mouth to the headwaters in Henry Coe State Park, was an historical migration route for steelhead trout. SCVWD studies have shown that Standish Dam and percolation ponds have posed barriers to outmigrating trout. Based on these results, Standish Dam has not been installed since 2000. The on-channel percolation ponds constructed on Coyote Creek severely degrade steelhead habitat by harboring non-native fish predators, such as 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...
(Micropterus salmoides) which prey on salmonid fingerlings, and also by releasing warm water flows. Moving Ogier Ponds and Metcalf Percolation Ponds off-channel would significantly enhance rearing habitat for steelhead.
Coho salmon
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
(Oncorhynchus kisutch) were present in the Coyote Creek watershed until the 1950s, suggesting that some spawning and rearing habitat was located in the watershed downstream from Coyote Reservoir which was completed in 1936 (blocking access to 310 square kilometers of upstream watershed). Historically, suitable habitat for coho salmon in the Coyote Creek watershed was likely restricted to the San Felipe Creek and Upper Penitencia Creek watersheds and possibly perennial reaches of Coyote Creek, and a few spring-fed tributaries upstream from Gilroy Hot Springs. Assuming the Coyote Percolation Reservoir was not a
complete barrier to coho salmon; the construction of Anderson Dam in 1950 would have
eliminated any coho salmon that occurred in the San Felipe Creek watershed that now
flows into Anderson Reservoir. However, if the Coyote Creek Percolation Reservoir
were a migration barrier, then only Upper Penitencia Creek would have provided
suitable habitat for coho salmon after 1934. San Felipe Creek currently contains habitat potentially suitable to coho salmon with low stream temperatures related to cool groundwater discharges in the Calaveras Fault zone. During early June and late-July 1997, the senior author
recorded water temperatures within the San Felipe Creek watershed within pools
containing rainbow trout between 11-13.3°C and 14.4-17.7°C, respectively. Zones of
groundwater discharge along the Calaveras Fault zone that traverses the watershed
maintain cool summer water temperatures. Upper Penitencia Creek, which enters lower Coyote Creek near its mouth and drains the steep coastal hills to the east also may have contained suitable coho salmon habitat.
The Chinook salmon run in Coyote Creek may be the last viable run in the South Bay, since the breeding salmon in the Guadalupe River
Guadalupe River (California)
The Guadalupe River is a short river in California whose headwater creeks originate in the Santa Cruz Mountains near the summit of Loma Prieta and Mount Umunhum. The river mainstem now begins on the Santa Clara Valley floor at the northern end of Lake Almaden, which is fed by Los Alamitos Creek and...
have severely declined subsequent to installation of extensive concrete channels in the river in downtown San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
by the SCVWD. These are “fall run” fish primarily adapted to the Sacramento
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
and San Joaquin
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
River watersheds. Since chinook salmon spawn in early winter and juveniles migrate to the ocean in their first spring, they are able to use habitats that turn very warm or have low water quality in summer.
Historically, Golden beaver (Castor canadensis subauratus) lived in Coyote Creek. This report is consistent with Alexander R. McLeod's report on the progress of the first Hudson's Bay Company fur brigade sent to California in 1829, "Beaver is become an article of traffic on the Coast as at the Mission of St. Joseph alone upwards of Fifteen hundred Beaver Skins were collected from the natives at a trifling value and sold to Ships at 3 Dollars". Physical proof of Golden beaver in south San Francisco Bay tributaries is a Castor canadensis subauratus skull in the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
National Museum of Natural History collected by zoologist James Graham Cooper
James Graham Cooper
James Graham Cooper was an American surgeon and naturalist.Cooper was born in New York. He worked for the California Geological Survey with Josiah Dwight Whitney, William Henry Brewer and Henry Nicholas Bolander...
in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
on Dec. 31, 1855.
A 1995 study showed high levels of toxic substances in receiving waters and sediments along urban areas of the creek versus undeveloped areas. This correlates to the density of storm drains suggesting that the pollution is from urban run-off.
See also
- List of rivers in California
- List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
External links
- Santa Clara Valley Water District Website
- Guide to Coyote Creek watershed from the Oakland Museum of CaliforniaOakland Museum of CaliforniaOakland Museum of California or Oakland Museum is a museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California located in Oakland, California....
- http://museumca.org/creeks/1390-OMMidCoyote.html#Middle Coyote Creek watershed map from the Oakland Museum of CaliforniaOakland Museum of CaliforniaOakland Museum of California or Oakland Museum is a museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California located in Oakland, California....
] - http://museumca.org/creeks/1390-RescCoyote.htmlHistoric Coyote Creek watershed maps from the Oakland Museum of CaliforniaOakland Museum of CaliforniaOakland Museum of California or Oakland Museum is a museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California located in Oakland, California....
] - Guadalupe - Coyote Resource Conservation District
- Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative (WMI)