Fountaingrove Lake
Encyclopedia
Fountaingrove Lake is a reservoir in the city of Santa Rosa
, California
, United States
. Formed by the Fountaingrove Dam, the lake is fed from the east by Piner Creek
, which is also the lake's sole outlet.
Fountaingrove Dam is an earthen dam built in 1953. It is 38 ft (12 m) high, 500 ft (152.4 m) long, and 15 ft (5 m) wide.
In 1985, a private country club
known as the Fountaingrove Golf and Athletic Club built a championship 18-hole golf course
centered on Fountaingrove Lake. The golf course was designed by Ted Robinson
Sr.
The dam and half the lake is owned by the city of Santa Rosa.
as well as upland biota
, and is noted for being a habitat of the Western pond turtle
, Actinemys marmorata, a "Species of Special Concern".
Within the lake at its verges are significant densities of wetland plants; moreover, at upland locations there are many native trees, particularly Coast live oak
, Quercus agrifolia and Garry oak
, Quercus garryana. Fishing has historically been conducted within the lake, although golf course and other urban development around the perimeter has reduced these practices.
The microclimate
at Fountaingrove Lake is a mild Mediterranean climate typical of southern and central Sonoma County. Approximately 29.2 inches (74.2 cm) of precipitation
occur at Fountaingrove Lake annually, almost entirely in the form of rainfall. The record high and low temperatures for this locale are 110 °F (43 °C) and 16 °F (-9 °C) respectively. Air quality is generally good since prevailing winds are from the northwest and intercept little industry as the winds travel from the Pacific Ocean
. Sound levels have increased steadily with the growth of Santa Rosa, with the principal local sound source
being Fountaingrove Parkway; sound levels from vehicles
ascending the steep grades of that arterial can attain levels of 55 to 58 dBA at the environs of Fountaingrove Lake.
A 500000 US gal (1,892.7 kl) water
storage tank
was proposed near the southern end of Fountaingrove Lake; the city of Santa Rosa has approved this project to add to the municipal drinking water
supply, subject to erosion
control measures to protect Fountaingrove Lake from excessive silt
ation. A substantial retirement community
known as Varenna is under development as of 2007 on the ridge
top at the southeastern perimeter of Fountaingrove Lake. The Varenna project had not made wetland
s mitigation environmental filings in a timely manner with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding certain filling of perimeter wetlands of Fountaingrove Lake associated with its development project; therefore, additionally off-site mitigation was required of the project to compensate the people of California for the wetlands destruction at Fountaingrove Lake. On site mitigation measures include extensive erosion protection for cut slopes and installation of bioswale
s.
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
, 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...
. Formed by the Fountaingrove Dam, the lake is fed from the east by Piner Creek
Piner Creek
Piner Creek is a stream in northeast Santa Rosa, California, United States which originates as an outlet of Fountaingrove Lake. Piner Creek discharges to Santa Rosa Creek which in turn joins the Laguna de Santa Rosa...
, which is also the lake's sole outlet.
Fountaingrove Dam is an earthen dam built in 1953. It is 38 ft (12 m) high, 500 ft (152.4 m) long, and 15 ft (5 m) wide.
In 1985, a private country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
known as the Fountaingrove Golf and Athletic Club built a championship 18-hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
centered on Fountaingrove Lake. The golf course was designed by Ted Robinson
Ted Robinson
Ted Robinson is the name of:*Ted Robinson , Golf course architect*Ted Robinson , American sportscaster...
Sr.
The dam and half the lake is owned by the city of Santa Rosa.
Ecology
Fountaingrove has significant aquaticAquatic ecosystem
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems....
as well as upland biota
Biota (ecology)
Biota are the total collection of organisms of a geographic region or a time period, from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet and whole-timescale spatiotemporal scales. The biota of the Earth lives in the biosphere.-See...
, and is noted for being a habitat of the Western pond turtle
Western pond turtle
The western pond turtle , or Pacific pond turtle is a small to medium-sized turtle growing to approximately 20 cm in carapace length. It is limited to the west coast of the United States of America and Mexico, ranging from western Washington state to northern Baja California...
, Actinemys marmorata, a "Species of Special Concern".
Within the lake at its verges are significant densities of wetland plants; moreover, at upland locations there are many native trees, particularly Coast live oak
Coast Live Oak
Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak, is an evergreen oak , native to the California Floristic Province. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section Quercus agrifolia, the Coast Live Oak,...
, Quercus agrifolia and Garry oak
Garry Oak
Quercus garryana, the Garry Oak, Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and...
, Quercus garryana. Fishing has historically been conducted within the lake, although golf course and other urban development around the perimeter has reduced these practices.
Environmental factors
Microclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
at Fountaingrove Lake is a mild Mediterranean climate typical of southern and central Sonoma County. Approximately 29.2 inches (74.2 cm) of precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
occur at Fountaingrove Lake annually, almost entirely in the form of rainfall. The record high and low temperatures for this locale are 110 °F (43 °C) and 16 °F (-9 °C) respectively. Air quality is generally good since prevailing winds are from the northwest and intercept little industry as the winds travel from 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...
. Sound levels have increased steadily with the growth of Santa Rosa, with the principal local sound source
Line source
A line source is a source of air, noise, water contamination or electromagnetic radiation that emanates from a linear geometry...
being Fountaingrove Parkway; sound levels from vehicles
Roadway noise
Roadway noise is the collective sound energy emanating from motor vehicles. In the USA it contributes more to environmental noise exposure than any other noise source, and is constituted chiefly of engine, tire, aerodynamic and braking elements...
ascending the steep grades of that arterial can attain levels of 55 to 58 dBA at the environs of Fountaingrove Lake.
Current issues
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...
storage tank
Storage tank
A storage tank is a container, usually for holding liquids, sometimes for compressed gases . The term can be used for reservoirs , and for manufactured containers. The usage of the word tank for reservoirs is common or universal in Indian English, American English and moderately common in British...
was proposed near the southern end of Fountaingrove Lake; the city of Santa Rosa has approved this project to add to the municipal drinking 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...
supply, subject to erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
control measures to protect Fountaingrove Lake from excessive silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
ation. A substantial retirement community
Retirement community
A retirement community, or active adult community, is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors - especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age . It differs from a retirement home which is a...
known as Varenna is under development as of 2007 on the ridge
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
top at the southeastern perimeter of Fountaingrove Lake. The Varenna project had not made wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s mitigation environmental filings in a timely manner with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding certain filling of perimeter wetlands of Fountaingrove Lake associated with its development project; therefore, additionally off-site mitigation was required of the project to compensate the people of California for the wetlands destruction at Fountaingrove Lake. On site mitigation measures include extensive erosion protection for cut slopes and installation of bioswale
Bioswale
Bioswales are landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water. They consist of a swaled drainage course with gently sloped sides and filled with vegetation, compost and/or riprap...
s.
See also
- MiwokMiwokMiwok can refer to any one of four linguistically related groups of Native Americans, native to Northern California, who spoke one of the Miwokan languages in the Utian family...
- TuleTuleSchoenoplectus acutus , called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae, native to freshwater marshes all over North America...
- WetlandWetlandA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....