Indian Valley Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Indian Valley Reservoir is a manmade lake in Lake County
, California
, 27 miles (43.5 km) west of Williams
near State Route 20.
The 301000 acre.ft capacity reservoir was created by the construction of the Indian Valley Dam across the north fork of Cache Creek
in 1975. The 965 ft (294.1 m) long and 201 ft (61.3 m) high earth-fill dam was built for water storage, irrigation and flood control.
Although the reservoir is in Lake County, it was built by neighboring Yolo County
, who own all water rights to the 300600 acre.ft of water. The dam includes a hydroelectric plant. The cost of the dam and reservoir exceeded $9 million and were funded, in part by two bond issues.
's Walker Ridge Recreation Area. All types of recreation are allowed, including boating
, camping
, fishing
, hunting
, hiking
, bicycling and horseback riding.
There are two primitive boat/hike-in campgrounds, Blue Oaks and Kowalski.
The area's flora and fauna include manzanita
, oak
and pine
trees, blacktail deer
, black bear
, and wild turkey
. Rare plants such as the Indian Valley Brodiaea
and Adobe lily
grow here.
Lake County, California
Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California...
, 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...
, 27 miles (43.5 km) west of Williams
Williams, California
Williams is a city in Colusa County, California, United States. The population was 5,123 at the 2010 census, up from 3,670 at the 2000 census. It is a traveler's city with many fast food restaurants, motels, and gas stations...
near State Route 20.
The 301000 acre.ft capacity reservoir was created by the construction of the Indian Valley Dam across the north fork of Cache Creek
Cache Creek (Yolo County, California)
Cache Creek is an stream in Lake County, California, Colusa County, California and Yolo County, California. The South Fork begins at Clear Lake in Lake County, roughly parallels State Route 20, and turns south at the junction with State Route 16 in Colusa County...
in 1975. The 965 ft (294.1 m) long and 201 ft (61.3 m) high earth-fill dam was built for water storage, irrigation and flood control.
Although the reservoir is in Lake County, it was built by neighboring Yolo County
Yolo County, California
Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....
, who own all water rights to the 300600 acre.ft of water. The dam includes a hydroelectric plant. The cost of the dam and reservoir exceeded $9 million and were funded, in part by two bond issues.
Recreation area
The reservoir is in the Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
's Walker Ridge Recreation Area. All types of recreation are allowed, including boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, bicycling and horseback riding.
There are two primitive boat/hike-in campgrounds, Blue Oaks and Kowalski.
The area's flora and fauna include manzanita
Manzanita
Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia, Washington to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and...
, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
trees, blacktail deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, and wild turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Rare plants such as the Indian Valley Brodiaea
Brodiaea
Brodiaea is a monocot genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Brodiaeoideae, also known by the common name cluster-lilies...
and Adobe lily
Fritillaria pluriflora
Fritillaria pluriflora is a rare species of fritillary known by the common name adobe lily.This wildflower is mainly limited to northern California, but it may exist in southern Oregon...
grow here.