San Pedro Creek
| San Pedro Creek | |
| stream | |
 San Pedro Creek, photo of segment of the Capistrano Fish Passage stream bed restoration project.
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Region | San Mateo County |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Brooks Creek |
| - right | North Fork |
| Source confluence | Mid Fork and South Fork |
| - elevation | 140 ft (43 m) |
| - coordinates | 37°34′47″N 122°28′23″W / 37.57972°N 122.47306°W |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
| - location | Pacifica, California, San Mateo County, United States |
| - elevation | 26 ft (8 m) |
| - coordinates | 37°35′47″N 122°30′21″W / 37.59639°N 122.50583°WCoordinates: 37°35′47″N 122°30′21″W / 37.59639°N 122.50583°W |
San Pedro Creek (Spanish for St. Peter) is a perennial stream in the City of Pacifica, San Mateo County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area whose tributaries originate on Sweeney Ridge in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Montara Mountain in the Santa Cruz Mountains.The creek mainstem flows 2.5 miles (4.0 km) through the San Pedro Valley to its mouth near Shelter Cove of the Pacific Ocean The stream is notable as the 1769 campsite for Gaspar de Portolà before he ascended Sweeney Ridge and discovered San Francisco Bay.
The south fork of San Pedro Creek became a trout farm, operated by John Gay, until 1962, when storm rains washed out the entire operation. Today the south fork is a seasonal water source for the City of Pacifica. San Pedro Creek is also notable as the only major steelhead trout habitat for 25 miles (40 km) between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay, supporting fish of up to two feet in length. More recently, the Middle Valley has been used for grazing on its hillsides and commercial farming in the meadows, with crops of pumpkins and artichokes.
The river has eight sources and three major tributaries, the Mid Fork, North Fork and South Fork. Draining a watershed of 8.2 square miles (21 km2), the lower portions of the stream were modified according to the local land uses, initially agriculture, and in the 1950s, suburban development. This involved straightening of the stream and elimination of wetlands and the reclamation of the former Lake Mathilda at the lower western zone with landfill. These changes, coupled with an increase of impermeable surface in the watershed has caused an increase in peak runoff levels, flooding and erosion of deeply incised channels up to 16 feet (4.9 m) deep. Most of the upper watershed is protected by San Pedro Valley County Park a 1,150-acre (4.7 km2) park which has three perennial creeks, the south and middle forks of San Pedro Creek, and Brooks Creek. During the rainy, winter months, a special attraction is the beautiful Brooks Falls, which has a drop of 175 feet (53 m) in three tiers.
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Wikipedia