San Mateo Creek

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San Mateo Creek (Spanish for: St. Matthew Creek) is a perennial stream that provides the only natural outlet of Crystal Springs Reservoir through the Crystal Springs Dam. The waters of Crystal Springs Reservoir consist of runoff from the eastern slopes of the Montara block of the Santa Cruz Mountains and imported Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct water deriving from the Sierra Nevada. This watercourse lies entirely within San Mateo County and flows generally eastward to discharge into San Francisco Bay. The upper watershed of San Mateo Creek consists of open space and sparsely developed residential areas of the cities of Hillsborough and San Mateo, California. This upper reach consists of closed canopy California oak woodland and serpentine grassland. The creek roughly parallels Crystal Springs Road through this section. Due to the unusual microclimate and presence of abundant serpentine there are an unusual number of rare plants in the upper catchment basin.[1]

The middle reach consists of increasingly dense single family and multifamily residential land use along with some adjacent school, park and commercial uses. In the lower phase of the middle reach, San Mateo Creek is fully culverted through downtown San Mateo. In the lowest reach San Mateo Creek becomes tidal and discharges to San Francisco Bay between Ryder Park and Seal Point Park. This mouth area contains slough and wetland habitats including mudflats that are known habitat of the endangered California Clapper Rail. San Mateo Creek was federally designated in 2002 as a section 303 impaired watershed for the substance diazinon;[2] however, diazinon has been banned for golf course use by the U.S. Government. There is one golf course that provides surface runoff to San Mateo Creek in the city of San Mateo and a second golf course that drains to the Crystal Springs Reservoir.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Environmental Impact Report for the Hillsborough Highlands Estates, Earth Metrics Report 7803, California State Clearinghouse, November, 1989
  2. ^ Federal impairment profile for San Mateo Creek

[edit] External links

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