Stevens Creek Reservoir | |
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Reservoir looking northeast towards the dam. From the Zinfandel Trail in Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve
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Location | Santa Clara County, California |
Coordinates | 37°17′38″N 122°04′47″W / 37.29399°N 122.07986°WCoordinates: 37°17′38″N 122°04′47″W / 37.29399°N 122.07986°W |
Type | reservoir |
Primary inflows | Stevens Creek |
Primary outflows | Stevens Creek |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 92 acres (37 ha) |
Water volume | 3,138 acre·ft (3,871,000 m3) |
Settlements | none |
Stevens Creek Reservoir is a reservoir located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains near Cupertino, California.
Stevens Creek Dam, which impounds the lake, was approved for construction by voters in 1934 and completed in 1935. The dam's height was raised 10 feet (3 m) in 1985, to its present height. The Santa Clara Valley Water District owns the dam.
Originally named Arroyo de San José Cupertino, Stevens Creek flows into the reservoir and out of the dam to San Francisco Bay. Stevens Creek and the reservoir are named after Captain Elijah Stephens who led the first wagon train across the Sierra Nevada in 1844 and settled in Cupertino.
The reservoir is located in Stevens Creek County Park, with the Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve adjacent to its east on The Montebello Ridge also known as Black Mountain.
Bluegill, Koi, Asian Carp, Largemouth Bass, Crappie and other species of fish live in the reservoir. It can be fished only with a permit unless under the age of 16. However it is strictly catch and release because of problems with the concentration of mercury in the water.
Stevens Creek County Park is is one of 28Santa Clara County Parks. The 1,063-acre (430 ha) park surrounds the reservoir, and an entrance lies three miles from Interstate 280. Six miles of trails connect with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's Fremont Older Open Space Preserve.