Mad River (California)
Encyclopedia
The Mad River is a river in upper Northern California
. It flows for 113 miles (181.9 km) in a roughly northwest direction through Trinity County
and then Humboldt County
, draining a 497 square miles (1,287.2 km²) watershed into the Pacific Ocean
north of the college town of Arcata
near Arcata-Eureka Airport
in McKinleyville
. The river's headwaters are in the Coast Range near South Kelsey Ridge.
(from approximately Blue Lake
to its mouth, plus the greater Humboldt Bay region) who spoke a dialect affiliated with the Algonquian language family, with upriver reaches controlled by three different groups whose languages are related to the Athabascan family, the Whilkut, Nongatl and Lassik (Baumhoff 1958). Today, among these distinct groups, only the Wiyot-affiliated Blue Lake Rancheria
is a Federally-recognized tribe and holds lands in trust for its citizens. The Whilkut
, Nongatl and Lassik were essentially annihilated during the Bald Hills War
in the 1860s. The river was named in December, 1849 in memory of an incident when Dr. Josiah Gregg
lost his temper when his gold exploration party did not wait for him at the river mouth. In 1921 the Humboldt State Teachers College was founded in Arcata, now known as Humboldt State University
.
The river is free-flowing for 85 percent of its length. Matthews Dam, about one third of the way down the river from its source, forms Ruth Reservoir
. The dam is owned by Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, which serves Eureka
, Arcata
, Blue Lake
and numerous unincorporated communities in the Humboldt Bay
area. The reservoir can hold 48000 acre.ft of water.
The greatest problem of the Mad River drainage basin
, as for many rivers in this area of the state, is erosion
causing excessive sediment
buildup in the river and its tributaries. The main causes of the erosion are excessive road building and logging
, especially historical logging practices like clear-cutting. In addition, the removal of riparian
vegetation (primarily due to conversion of natural lands to ranching purposes) increases erosion and urbanization causes decreased water quality
. In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency added the Mad River to California’s Clean Water Act Section 303(d) impaired water list due to elevated sedimentation/siltation and turbidity.
, but the vast majority of the river flows through private land, even in the national forest
. About 64 percent of the land is used for timber
production. Green Diamond is by far the largest landowner in the watershed, with about 42 percent of all land. The next largest landowners are R. Emmerson and Humboldt Redwood Company (formerly the Pacific Lumber Company), with 3 and 2 percent respectively. There are quite a few ranchers and lumber
companies that own smaller, but still sizable, parcels. Private residences, open space and parks make up most of the rest.
(Erigeron maniopotamicus), a wildflower which was named for the river.
Chinook salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon
(O. kisutch),steelhead and resident rainbow trout
(O. mykiss), coastal cutthroat trout
(O. clarki clarki), and the occasional sockeye salmon
(O. nerka) and chum salmon
(O. keta). The Mad River watershed also contains several non-salmonid fish species. Native resident fish include the Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata), prickly sculpin (Cottus asper), coast range sculpin (C. aleuticus), Sacramento sucker (Catostomas occidentalis), Humboldt sucker (Catostomas occidentalis humboldtianus), three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteous aculeatus), and estuarine species such as longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthy), starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus), and eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus). California roach (Lavinia ssymmetricus), brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) represent non-native fish species introduced into the watershed.
Mad River estuary is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy
. The Mad River watershed was described as at carrying capacity with 22 colonies of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in 1954, from the river mouth to well upstream. These beaver were re-introduced into the North Fork Mad River in 1946, or possibly were migrants from the Little River (Humboldt County). North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) were also numerous.
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. It flows for 113 miles (181.9 km) in a roughly northwest direction through Trinity County
Trinity County, California
Trinity County is a large, rugged and mountainous, heavily forested county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of California, along the Trinity River and within the Salmon/Klamath Mountains. It covers an area of over two million acres , and as of the 2010 census its population...
and then Humboldt County
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
, draining a 497 square miles (1,287.2 km²) watershed into 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...
north of the college town of Arcata
Arcata, California
-Demographics:-2010 Census data:The 2010 United States Census reported that Arcata had a population of 17,231. The population density was 1,567.4 people per square mile...
near Arcata-Eureka Airport
Arcata-Eureka Airport
Arcata/Eureka Airport , also known as Arcata Airport, is an airport located north of Eureka in the unincorporated town of McKinleyville, California. This regional airport serves Humboldt County, including the two primary regional cities that compose its name: Arcata and Eureka. The airport is a...
in McKinleyville
McKinleyville, California
McKinleyville is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California, United States. McKinleyville is located north of Arcata, at an elevation of . The population was 15,177 at the 2010 census, up from 13,599 at the 2000 census. This unincorporated community is the third largest community,...
. The river's headwaters are in the Coast Range near South Kelsey Ridge.
History
Before Euro-American settlers arrived in the mid-1800s, the native peoples occupying the lower Mad River watershed were the WiyotWiyot people
The Wiyot people are a native people of the Humboldt Bay, California and nearby environs.-History:The Wiyot and Yurok are the farthest southwest people whose language has Algic roots; Wiyot and Yurok are distantly related to the Algonquian languages...
(from approximately Blue Lake
Blue Lake, California
Blue Lake is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Blue Lake is located on the Mad River northeast of Eureka, at an elevation of 131 feet...
to its mouth, plus the greater Humboldt Bay region) who spoke a dialect affiliated with the Algonquian language family, with upriver reaches controlled by three different groups whose languages are related to the Athabascan family, the Whilkut, Nongatl and Lassik (Baumhoff 1958). Today, among these distinct groups, only the Wiyot-affiliated Blue Lake Rancheria
Blue Lake Rancheria
The Blue Lake Rancheria of the Wiyot, Yurok, and Hupa Indians is located in Humboldt County, California.In 1966, the United States Government returned the Blue Lake Rancheria back over to the tribe and removed all Native rights from the tribe's citizens...
is a Federally-recognized tribe and holds lands in trust for its citizens. The Whilkut
Whilkut
The Whilkut were an Athapaskan tribe, speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa and Chilula, who inhabited the area on or near the upper Redwood Creek and along the Mad River except near its mouth, up to Iaqua Butte, and some settlement in Grouse Creek in the Trinity River drainage in Northwestern...
, Nongatl and Lassik were essentially annihilated during the Bald Hills War
Bald Hills War
Bald Hills War was a war fought by the forces of the California Militia, California Volunteers and soldiers of the U. S. Army against the Chilula, Lassik, Hupa, Mattole, Nongatl, Sinkyone, Tsnungwe, Wailaki, Whilkut and Wiyot Native American peoples.The war was fought within the boundaries of the...
in the 1860s. The river was named in December, 1849 in memory of an incident when Dr. Josiah Gregg
Josiah Gregg
Josiah Gregg was a merchant, explorer, naturalist, and author of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico regions. He is most famous for his book Commerce of the Prairies.-Early years:...
lost his temper when his gold exploration party did not wait for him at the river mouth. In 1921 the Humboldt State Teachers College was founded in Arcata, now known as Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of...
.
Watershed and River modifications
The Mad River drains approximately 497 square miles (1,287.2 km²) of the Coast Range Geomorphic Province and empties into the Pacific Ocean north of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California. The basin is about 100 miles (160.9 km) in length and averages six miles (10 km) wide. Elevations range from sea level at the mouth to 3000 feet (914.4 m) along the western ridge to 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) in the headwaters. Principal tributaries to the Mad River include South Fork Mad River, North Fork Mad River, Barry Creek, Pilot Creek, Deer Creek, Bug Creek, Graham Creek, Blue Slide Creek, Boulder Creek, Maple Creek, Canõn Creek, Lindsey Creek, and Mill (Hall) Creek.The river is free-flowing for 85 percent of its length. Matthews Dam, about one third of the way down the river from its source, forms Ruth Reservoir
Ruth Reservoir
Ruth Reservoir is the only reservoir on California's Mad River. The reservoir and adjacent community were named for early settler Ruth McKnight. The reservoir was formed by construction of R. W. Matthews Dam in 1962 primarily for domestic and industrial water supply to Arcata, Eureka, and other...
. The dam is owned by Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, which serves Eureka
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
, Arcata
Arcata, California
-Demographics:-2010 Census data:The 2010 United States Census reported that Arcata had a population of 17,231. The population density was 1,567.4 people per square mile...
, Blue Lake
Blue Lake, California
Blue Lake is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Blue Lake is located on the Mad River northeast of Eureka, at an elevation of 131 feet...
and numerous unincorporated communities in the Humboldt Bay
Humboldt Bay
Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, United States entirely within Humboldt County. The regional center and county seat of Eureka and the college town of Arcata adjoin the bay, which is the second largest enclosed...
area. The reservoir can hold 48000 acre.ft of water.
The greatest problem of the Mad River drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, as for many rivers in this area of the state, is 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...
causing excessive sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
buildup in the river and its tributaries. The main causes of the erosion are excessive road building and logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, especially historical logging practices like clear-cutting. In addition, the removal of riparian
Riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
vegetation (primarily due to conversion of natural lands to ranching purposes) increases erosion and urbanization causes decreased water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
. In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency added the Mad River to California’s Clean Water Act Section 303(d) impaired water list due to elevated sedimentation/siltation and turbidity.
Land use
The upper half of the river is inside the Six Rivers National ForestSix Rivers National Forest
Six Rivers National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the northwestern corner of California. It was established on July 1, 1947 by U.S. President Harry S. Truman from portions of Klamath, Siskiyou and Trinity National Forests. Its over one million acres of land contain a variety of...
, but the vast majority of the river flows through private land, even in the national forest
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...
. About 64 percent of the land is used for timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
production. Green Diamond is by far the largest landowner in the watershed, with about 42 percent of all land. The next largest landowners are R. Emmerson and Humboldt Redwood Company (formerly the Pacific Lumber Company), with 3 and 2 percent respectively. There are quite a few ranchers and lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
companies that own smaller, but still sizable, parcels. Private residences, open space and parks make up most of the rest.
Ecology
Flora of the area includes the Mad River fleabaneErigeron maniopotamicus
Erigeron maniopotamicus is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Mad River fleabane. It is endemic to northern California, where it is known from six occurrences in three disjunct locations in Humboldt and Trinity Counties...
(Erigeron maniopotamicus), a wildflower which was named for the river.
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), 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:...
(O. kisutch),steelhead and resident rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
(O. mykiss), coastal cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...
(O. clarki clarki), and the occasional sockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon , also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it...
(O. nerka) and chum salmon
Chum salmon
The chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is a Pacific salmon, and may also be known as dog salmon or Keta salmon, and is often marketed under the name Silverbrite salmon...
(O. keta). The Mad River watershed also contains several non-salmonid fish species. Native resident fish include the Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata), prickly sculpin (Cottus asper), coast range sculpin (C. aleuticus), Sacramento sucker (Catostomas occidentalis), Humboldt sucker (Catostomas occidentalis humboldtianus), three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteous aculeatus), and estuarine species such as longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthy), starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus), and eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus). California roach (Lavinia ssymmetricus), brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) represent non-native fish species introduced into the watershed.
Mad River estuary is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy
California Bays and Estuaries Policy
The Water Quality Control Policy for the Enclosed Bays and Estuaries of California is published by the California State Water Resources Control Board as guidelines to prevent water quality degradation. The policy is revised as needed.-Geography:...
. The Mad River watershed was described as at carrying capacity with 22 colonies of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in 1954, from the river mouth to well upstream. These beaver were re-introduced into the North Fork Mad River in 1946, or possibly were migrants from the Little River (Humboldt County). North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) were also numerous.
See also
- List of rivers in California
- Mad River, CaliforniaMad River, CaliforniaMad River is a census-designated place in Trinity County, California. Mad River is located in the in southern part of the county. Mad River sits at an elevation of . The ZIP Code is 95552 and Mad River is inside area code 530...
- the small community near the western extent of Ruth Lake. - South Fork Trinity RiverSouth Fork Trinity RiverThe South Fork Trinity River is a major tributary of the Trinity River, in the northern part of the U.S. state of California.It is part of the Klamath River drainage basin. It flows generally northwest from its source in the Klamath Mountains, draining about of mountainous terrain...
, which parallels much of the river