Matanzas Creek
Encyclopedia
Matanzas Creek is an 11.4 miles (18.3 km) year-round stream in Sonoma County, California
, United States
, a tributary of Santa Rosa Creek
.
and flows northward into Bennett Valley
to join the South Fork Matanzas Creek. The stream runs the length of Bennett Valley between Taylor Mountain and Bennett Mountain, flowing under Grange Road near Bennet Valley Road, through Matanzas Creek Reservoir and Bennett Valley Golf Course to the city of Santa Rosa
. In Santa Rosa, the creek parallels Creekside Road, Cypress Road, and Hoen Avenue westward to Doyle Park, where it is joined by Spring Creek
. From there, the creek continues westward to a confluence with Santa Rosa Creek just north of the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
.
The waters of Matanzas Creek reach the Pacific Ocean
south of Jenner, California
by way of Santa Rosa Creek, the Laguna de Santa Rosa
, Mark West Creek
, and the Russian River
.
alluvium of the Santa Rosa Plain
for approximately 1 mile (2 kilometers) prior to confluence with Santa Rosa Creek.
In downtown Santa Rosa, the creek passes through a 1400 feet (426.7 m) culvert
designed to allow maximum development of the city; however, this structure has impeded the spawning
of anadromous fish in the upper Matanzas Creek. A proposal was developed for retrofitting the structure with inflatable bladders that will allow fish to scale the fish ladder
, while allowing pools to form, thus preventing low flow uniformly shallow depths.
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...
, a tributary of Santa Rosa Creek
Santa Rosa Creek
Santa Rosa Creek is a 22 mile long stream in Sonoma County, California which rises on Hood Mountain and discharges to the Laguna de Santa Rosa by way of the Santa Rosa Flood Control Channel...
.
Course
Matanzas Creek springs from the northern slope 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...
and flows northward into Bennett Valley
Bennett Valley
Bennett Valley is a northwest- to southeast-trending valley in Sonoma County, California, USA approximately wide in its northwestern portion, where the southeast extremity of Santa Rosa, California is located...
to join the South Fork Matanzas Creek. The stream runs the length of Bennett Valley between Taylor Mountain and Bennett Mountain, flowing under Grange Road near Bennet Valley Road, through Matanzas Creek Reservoir and Bennett Valley Golf Course to the city of Santa Rosa
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...
. In Santa Rosa, the creek parallels Creekside Road, Cypress Road, and Hoen Avenue westward to Doyle Park, where it is joined by Spring Creek
Spring Creek (Sonoma County, California)
Spring Creek, in Sonoma County, California, is a stream that rises in the northern part of the Sonoma Mountains within Annadel State Park, draining the western slopes of Taylor Mountain and feeding into Matanzas Creek below the Matanzas Creek Reservoir....
. From there, the creek continues westward to a confluence with Santa Rosa Creek just north of the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens is a city park containing the former home, greenhouse, gardens, and grave of noted American horticulturist Luther Burbank . It is located at the intersection of Santa Rosa Avenue and Sonoma Avenue in Santa Rosa, California, in the United States. The park is open...
.
The waters of Matanzas Creek reach 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...
south of Jenner, California
Jenner, California
Jenner is a small coastal town and census-designated place with a population of about 136 in Sonoma County, California, U.S. It is located on the Pacific coast near the mouth of the Russian River. State Route 1 runs through the town and State Route 116 runs nearby, along the Russian River...
by way of Santa Rosa Creek, the Laguna de Santa Rosa
Laguna de Santa Rosa
The Laguna de Santa Rosa is a long wetland complex that drains a 254-square mile watershed encompassing most of the Santa Rosa Plain in Sonoma County, California, USA.-Description:...
, Mark West Creek
Mark West Creek
Mark West Creek is a stream that rises in the Mayacamas Mountains of Sonoma County, California, USA. Tributaries of Mark West Creek include Porter Creek and Hummingbird Creek, both of which originate in the same mountain range. Discharge waters of Mark West Creek reach the Russian River after a...
, and the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
.
Ecology
The upper reaches of Matanzas Creek have gradients of five to fifteen percent as the stream cascades down Sonoma Mountain. Matanzas Creek channel has been deepened 4 to 5 meters to minimize urban flooding where it flows through QuaternaryQuaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
alluvium of the Santa Rosa Plain
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a relatively flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms...
for approximately 1 mile (2 kilometers) prior to confluence with Santa Rosa Creek.
In downtown Santa Rosa, the creek passes through a 1400 feet (426.7 m) culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
designed to allow maximum development of the city; however, this structure has impeded the spawning
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
of anadromous fish in the upper Matanzas Creek. A proposal was developed for retrofitting the structure with inflatable bladders that will allow fish to scale the fish ladder
Fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
, while allowing pools to form, thus preventing low flow uniformly shallow depths.
See also
- Brush Creek
- List of watercourses in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Pomo peoplePomo peopleThe Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
- Spawn (biology)Spawn (biology)Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...