Contra Loma Reservoir - Contra Costa County, California

Visited on 3/10/2019, Jeff and I took a drive with our pups, Summer and Skye to the San Francisco Bay Area to take a tour of all of the lakes in Contra Costa County and a couple in Alameda County.  The last lake on our list for the day was Contra Loma Lake.  Located in the City of Antioch at an elevation of 194 feet above sea level this reservoir is the one of two lakes located in the City of Antioch.  This beautiful little 80 acre lake is the centerpiece of a great regional park for the community.  

Jeff and I spent an hour or so walking the dogs on the paved trails while we watched several fishermen along the shoreline.  We had to keep the dogs on a tight leash and watch where we stepped because of the many ground squirrels, rabbits and geese that make this area their home. 

We did have some play and fetch time in the horse staging and camp area.

To our surprise they had an informational display regarding the Anza Expedition of 1776.  Jeff’s ancestors were part of this expedition and helped build the Presidio and Mission in what is now called San Francisco. This display explains that Juan Bautista de Anza along with Jeff’s ancestors, (who were among 240 settlers) who traveled 1,800 miles from Sonora, Mexico to Monterey, California.  It explains that Anza then led a smaller group to choose sites for a mission and presidio in San Francisco , and to explore the East Bay.  They camped a few miles from this park location on the Antioch shoreline.  During the journey in the East Bay, Anza and his men passed through the homeland of Ohlone, Bay Miwok and Northern Valley Yokuts peoples from several tribes, whose ancestors had lived in the East Bay for some 13,000 years.  Native people responded to the newcomers with surprise, fear and hospitality, including gifts of fish, seed “cakes”, and other foods.  In return the Spanish gave them glass beads.  The diaries of Anza and his settlers are among the very few firsthand accounts of life in this area prior to Spanish colonization. 

The wildflowers were in bloom and this was a great way to spend quality time and learn more about this nice little lake and regional park on a semi-rainy Sunday afternoon.

Antioch Municipal Lake - Contra Costa County, California

Visited on 3/10/2019, Jeff and I took a drive with our pups, Summer and Skye to the San Francisco Bay Area to take a tour of all of the lakes in Contra Costa County and a couple in Alameda County.  One of the last lakes on our list to visit for the day was the Antioch Municipal Lake.  Located in the City of Antioch at an elevation of 171 feet above sea level this reservoir is the one of two lakes located in the City of Antioch.  This beautiful little 37 acre lake is surrounded by a 18-hole Lone Tree golf course and a large building for events for the community.  

Del Valle Reservoir - Alameda County, California

Visited on 3/10/2019, Jeff and I took a drive with our pups, Summer and Skye to the San Francisco Bay Area to take a tour of all of the lakes in Contra Costa County and a couple in Alameda County.  Even though as we approached Lake Del Valle just south of the City of Livermore it was pouring rain we made to the Lake.  The Park Ranger explained that areas of the Lakeshore was experienced flooding due to the recent rains in Northern California.  This 1,060 surface acre lake is at an elevation of 735 feet above sea level.  Lake Del Valle is a storage reservoir located 10 miles southeast of Livermore, in Alameda County, California. It is within Del Valle Regional Park.  It is on Arroyo Valle (Spanish for "creek of the valley") in the Diablo Range. The lake is formed by Del Valle Dam, completed in 1968.

The lake and dam are part of the California State Water Project, as part of the South Bay Aqueduct. The lake serves in part as off-stream storage for the South Bay Aqueduct. The lake is a popular destination for hikers, bikers, and boaters. The dam is 230 feet high and 880 feet long.

The Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct passes below the lake, but does not connect to it.

My Jeep Wrangler getting nice and wet as we navigate the hills above Livermore, California to visit Del Valle Reservoir and Regional Park. Even though as we approached Lake Del Valle just south of the City of Livermore it was pouring rain we made to the Lake. 

Clifton Court Forebay - Contra Costa County, California

This large 2,500 surface acre body of water was one of our stops during a road trip to the East Bay area on 3/10/2019.  Jeff and I took a drive with our pups, Summer and Skye to the San Francisco Bay Area to take a tour of all of the lakes in Contra Costa County and a couple in Alameda County.  Clifton Court Forebay is located just south of the City of Byron at an elevation of just 3 feet above sea level.  Clifton Court Forebay is a reservoir in the San Joaquin River Delta region of eastern Contra Costa County, California, 17 miles southwest of Stockton.  Since it is so low in elevation and not much accessible elevation nearby it was difficult to find a good advantage point to get a picture of the entire Forebay.

The body of water was created in 1969 by inundating a 2,200-acre tract as part of the California State Water Project.  It serves as the intake point of the California Aqueduct for transport to Southern California, and feeds the Delta–Mendota Canal (a part of the Central Valley Project) to recharge San Joaquin Valley river systems.

Earthquakes are commonplace in the Bay area of California.  If a large enough earthquake happens near or at the Clifton Court Forebay, the California water system for irrigation and municipal use will be adversely affected. Several earthquakes have nearly shut down the Forebay. The 2014 South Napa earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake came very close to shutting down the Forebay intake system.

The Clifton Forebay is a wetland system that drained nearby small rivers into the Pacific Ocean. Only in recent times was its freshwater drainage functions turned into a gateway to water storage. The Central Valley region that this forebay interfaces with is very gradually filling in the central valley with sediments. The region may be rebounding from recent clashes with glaciations that affected North America.

Los Vaqueros Reservoir - Contra Costa County, California

Los Vaqueros is the Bay Area’s largest reservoir, but I think the most beautiful that Jeff and I visited on our marathon day of visiting eight lakes in the East Bay area on 3/10/2019.  Jeff and I took a drive with our pups, Summer and Skye to the San Francisco Bay Area to take a tour of all of the lakes in Contra Costa County and a couple in Alameda County.  Los Vaqueros Reservoir is one of California’s newest reservoirs, located in the northern Diablo Range, within northeastern Contra Costa County, northern California.  Los Vaqueros Reservoir is named for the 19th century Mexican Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros land grant that included its site. The Spanish word vaquero means "cowboy" in English.  This 1,480 surface acre reservoir at an elevation of 500 feet above sea level was completed by the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) in 1998 to improve the quality of drinking water for its 550,000 customers in Central and Eastern Contra Costa County.   Water is pumped into the reservoir from a Delta intake on Old River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The intake is located just east of Discovery Bay. Water is pumped into the reservoir when salinity is low, and used for drinking water when salinity in the Delta is too high. Water from the reservoir is released via a pipeline to the 48-mile Contra Costa Canal, which conveys water to six water treatment plants throughout the Water District's service area. The earthen dam is 192 feet high with a 1,000-foot crest length.  It is made of 2.7 million cubic yards of fill material.

Incursions of saline water into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta from the San Francisco Bay has been a concern since the 1870s. This concern was one of the reasons CCWD was formed in 1936. A drought in 1977, caused salinity levels to exceed public health standards.  It forced CCWD to ration deliveries of fresh water to its customers.

 

In 1988, voters approved funding of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir project to begin design and construction. It was a massive project.  In addition to building the $61 million, 192-foot-tall dam, the district had to overcome many obstacles including building roads, relocating electrical and gas lines, etc.  Construction began Sept. 17, 1994.  The dam and most of the other major items were completed by December 1997. Filling of the reservoir with water began in February 1998, and was completed by January 1999, a year ahead of schedule.  One expansion was made to increase the dam and capacity of the reservoir.  More expansions to the increase the height of the dam are planned that could be completed by 2026.

The Watershed also serves as a weather data collection site for Mallory Ridge weather station located at the top of the ridge above the Marina. The station has a remote access water station (RAWS), which is maintained by the Los Vaqueros Watershed Staff and linked to the National Fire Weather System.

Other benefits of the reservoir include water storage for drought or emergencies, a protected open space, and recreation. There are 55 miles of hiking trails in the watershed. The watershed is open for fishing, hiking and other activities year-round. Electric rental boats are available, but no outside boats can be launched on the lake.  No swimming is allowed in the reservoir. 

Los Vaqueros Watershed Reservoir and Hiking Trails map located at the Marina. Did you know that Los Vaqueros is the Bay Area's Largest Reservoir and they have fun snakes that rattle, ticks with lime disease and nice Big kitty kats there too!!! Therefore, No Swimming, No Dogs or Pets, No Camping, No Fires or of course No Alcohol.... Enjoy your visit!!!

Lafayette Reservoir - Contra Costa County, California

Visited on 3/10/2019, Jeff and I took a drive with our pups, Summer and Skye to the San Francisco Bay Area to take a tour of all of the lakes in Contra Costa County and a couple in Alameda County.  The third lake we visited was in the City of Lafayette and is named so.  Jeff and I have both spent time at this lake in the past.  Jeff’s parents lived in a nearby town of Moraga for over 30 years and Jeff and his parents came to this lake for evening walks with the dog.  I attended a Gap Headquarters company summer picnic when I worked for the Gap Headquarters in 1987-88.  This beautiful 126 acre lake at an elevation of 459 feet above sea level is an open-cut man-made terminal water storage reservoir owned and operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). Completed in 1933, it was intended solely as a standby water supply for EBMUD customers. EBMUD opened the reservoir for public recreation in 1966. It is located off of California State Route 24 and a mile from the Lafayette BART station, in Contra Costa County, California. This all-year, day-use area is ideal for hiking, jogging, fishing, boating and picnicking. The reservoir is on the Lafayette-Orinda border. The reservoir is on a 925-acre site and holds 1.4 billion gallons of water.

Construction of Lafayette Reservoir began in 1928, as an earth-filled structure for the dam. The fill was installed very rapidly.  This was apparently too fast for the clay foundation, because as the concrete apron was being poured, the foundation began to move downhill. The dam reportedly settled, displacing the structure 200 yards from the toe of the dam.

EBMUD engineers had to quickly redesign the project, first by reducing the reservoir capacity to one-third of its original design. Then they delayed further construction by three years, to see whether more settling would occur. The design change was apparently satisfactory, and the dam was completed in 1933.

Rowboats and pedal boats can be rented. Private rowboats, canoes, kayaks and small sailboats are allowed if carried atop an auto (no gasoline engines).

The main trail around the reservoir is a 2.7-mile paved footpath named the Lakeside Trail; the 4.5-mile Rim Trail is a more challenging dirt hiking path through the surrounding hills.

Families, groups and companies can reserve picnic areas holding 50 or 200 people. Many individual tables and barbecues accommodate smaller groups. A large play area offers lively fun for children. The park has restrooms and a disabled-access fishing dock with adjacent parking.

An observation tower built at the southwestern corner of the lake was left unchanged when the dam was redesigned. Thus, the tower seems too tall for its intended use. The top is accessible only by scaling metal rungs embedded in its side. Therefore, the tiny observation booth is almost always deserted, and the antique doors have turned green from oxidation.

Briones Reservior - Contra Costa County, California

Visited on 3/10/2019, Jeff and I took a drive with our pups, Summer and Skye to the San Francisco Bay Area to take a tour of all of the lakes in Contra Costa County and a couple in Alameda County.  After visiting San Pablo Reservoir, we drove to the top of the ridge to the north and found Briones Reservoir.  This reservoir is located at 576 feet above sea level and is 735 surface acres in size.  

Briones Reservoir is an open cut terminal water storage reservoir located in western Contra Costa County, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It is owned and operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).  The reservoir is in the Briones Hills, on the west side of Briones Regional Park and northeast of Orinda. It is impounded by Briones Dam, an earthen dam completed in 1964. The reservoir is the largest of EBMUD’s five East Bay terminal reservoirs.  The Briones Reservoir has two sources for its water, one local and one imported.  Its watershed includes the Bear Creek drainage. Bear Creek formerly flowed down the valley, which the reservoir partially submerges, and still enters from the eastern section.

The major water source into the Briones Reservoir is imported from the Briones Diversion Works near Orinda. It is delivered through the Briones Aqueduct, a 7-foot, 6-inch steel pipe, operated by four pumps that can deliver up to 60 million gallons a day.   This is water imported from EDMUD’s biggest water source, the Mokelumne River in the San Joaquin Valley.

Water then leaves Briones Reservoir and flows to the lower part of the valley and into San Pablo Reservoir. From there, the water is distributed by a pumping plant in Kensington.

Because the water in the reservoir is mainly for human potable water uses, EBMUD is very strict about recreational activities. Fishing, swimming, and wading are not allowed. However, college rowing teams from Mills College, UC Berkeley and Saint Mary's College have permission to use the lake under certain rules, such as the inspection of all boats before use on the lake in order to prevent contamination.

I hiked down to the water edge and had a nice conversation with a group of hikers, the Reeves, a local couple from the Bay Area and his parents visiting from Tucson, Arizona. 

Trail down from the parking lot down to the water edge.

San Pablo Reservoir - Contra Costa County, California

Visited on 3/10/2019, Jeff and I took a drive with our pups, Summer and Skye to the San Francisco Bay Area to take a tour of all of the lakes in Contra Costa County and a couple in Alameda County.  Our first stop was San Pablo Reservoir.  This body of water is an open cut terminal water storage reservoir owned and operated by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). It is tucked in the beautiful valley of San Pablo Creek, north of Orinda, California  and south of El Sobrante and Richmond, east of the Berkeley Hills between San Pablo Ridge and Sobrante Ridge.

The earthen San Pablo Dam was built in 1919 and is located on the west end and the El Sobrante end of the reservoir, above Kennedy Grove. The reservoir is located at 305 feet above sea level and is 854 surface acres in size.  A water tunnel runs under the hills to the west from the reservoir to a pumping plant in Kensington. The San Pablo Dam Road runs along the west side of the reservoir. EBMUD's Briones Reservoir is in the hills southeast of the San Pablo Reservoir and drains into the reservoir. Although the dam impounds the waters of San Pablo Creek, the great bulk of its water is imported via the Mokelumne Aqueduct from Pardee Reservoir located over a hundred miles to the east in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

EBMUD owns and maintains the San Pablo Reservoir Recreation Area, which consists of boating and fishing access to the reservoir itself, and some watershed land on the west side of the reservoir. Because this reservoir is a storage facility for drinking water, swimming and wading are prohibited. Fishing, boating, and canoeing are allowed. However, to reduce the possibility of gasoline components in the reservoir, only four-cycle engines using MTBE-free gasoline are allowed.

San Pablo Reservoir was the potential venue for the rowing and canoe races in the case that San Francisco would host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Lake Combie - Placer and Nevada Counties, California

Visited on 3/9/2019, Jeff and I loaded up our dogs, Summer and Skye for a day adventure one hour north of our Ranch up to Nevada County, California.  This was a scattered rainy cloudy day, so we didn’t expect much and just out to explore the South Yuba River area of Northern California.   We visited four lakes, two actually located in Nevada County and two in Placer County.  Our fourth and last stop was Lake Combie.  Located northeast of Sacramento about 45 miles, and just ten miles north of Auburn, California in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains lies a nice 276 surface acre lake at an elevation of 1,605 feet above sea level.  Lake Combie is an impoundment of the Bear River flowing along the Placer and Nevada County line in northwestern California's Gold Country.  Also known as Combie Lake, Van Giesen and Combie Reservoir, this private reservoir is owned by the Nevada Irrigation District (NID). Access to the sparkling water is limited to fortunate landowners and guests living in the Sierra Nevada foothills surrounding the lake shore.

Two dams on Combie Reservoir trap winter precipitation and Sierra snowmelt for use in irrigation, drinking water, hydropower and recreational use. Van Giesen Dam, also called Lake Combie Dam, was started in October, 1927 and completed in May, 1928 on the Bear River in Placer County. At a later date, Combie Dam was constructed north of Van Giesen Dam on the Bear River in Nevada County. The 85-foot Van Giesen Dam originally stored water fed by the Bear River and Wooley Creek in Placer County. Over the decades erosion and upstream sediment have reduced the lake's volume.  Dredging is used to stabilize the Lake Combie's size.

Lake Combie stores water for treatment plants in the nearby communities of Lake of the Pines and Auburn. From mid-April to mid-October Combie Lake also replenishes the four lakes within the nearby community of Lake of the Pines. Combie Reservoir drains through a canal at the north end of the lake and has two intake facilities for the hydropower plant located on the north and south side of Van Giesen Dam.

Nevada Irrigation District owns Combie Reservoir plus an additional five feet above the 1,600-foot water elevation line. Follow the rolling hills along the nine-mile shoreline and you will find five miles of shore within Nevada County and four miles of shore within Placer County.

Lake Combie landscape holds mixed conifers, native grasses and shrubs, but very little vegetation grows along the lake shore. As a result, shallow water warms rapidly providing less than ideal conditions for native fish species.

Drive approximately 10 miles south of Lake Combie is the lovely community of Auburn. Once considered the crossroads of the Mother Lode, Auburn is steeped in mining history. A walk through Old Town will take you past historic architecture; a delightful selection of antique stores, restaurants and gift shops; or a refreshing break at the soda fountain at the Auburn Drug Company in operation since 1896. If you stay through the change of seasons Auburn offers local fare at the Wild West Stampede in April and Gold Country Fair in September.

Lake of the Pines - Nevada County, California

Visited on 3/9/2019, Jeff and I loaded up our dogs, Summer and Skye for a day adventure one hour north of our Ranch up to Nevada County, California.  This was a scattered rainy cloudy day, so we didn’t expect much and just out to explore the South Yuba River area of Northern California.   We visited four lakes, two actually located in Nevada County and two in Placer County.  Our third Lake to visit was Lake of the Pines.  Located northeast of Sacramento about 45 miles, and just ten miles north of Auburn, California in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains lies a nice 230 surface acre lake at an elevation of 1,507 feet above sea level.  Lake of the Pines is a 2,000 home limited access private community surrounding this man-made lake.  Jeff and I were not able to drive into the community so we drove around the south side of the lake to view the golf course that surrounds the community.  Nice drive and some beautiful homes mix with cattle ranches on the southside.

Lake Wildwood - Nevada County, California

Visited on 3/9/2019, Jeff and I loaded up our dogs, Summer and Skye for a day adventure one hour north of our Ranch up to Nevada County, California.  This was a scattered rainy cloudy day, so we didn’t expect much, but just wanted to get out of the house and explore the South Yuba River area of Northern California.   We visited four lakes, two actually located in Nevada County and two in Placer County.  Our second stop was Lake Wildwood just east of Englebright Reservoir.  Lake Wildwood is a planned private community of approximately 3,000 homes and an 18-hole golf course home to about 5,000 residents around a beautiful 300 surface acre lake.  Lake Wildwood is fed by alpine streams from the Sierra Mountains at an elevation of 1,200 feet and is located off of Hwy 20 just west of Penn Valley, California.  Lake Wildwood is a private community with access to the Lake for home owners only.  Jeff and I were able to drive across the Anthony dam and witness the unique occurrence of the water rushing over the semi-circle shaped dam.  The water cascades over into this tub shaped intake and then on into the river.

Bridgeport is located just about 5 miles north of Lake Wildwood and there is a great little State Park at the Historic World's Longest Wooden Bridge.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is located in Bridgeport, Nevada County, California, southwest of French Corral and north of Lake Wildwood. It is used as a pedestrian crossing over the South Yuba River. The bridge was built in 1862 by David John Wood. Its lumber came from Plum Valley in Sierra County, California. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1972 and pedestrian traffic in 2011 due to deferred maintenance and "structural problems. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is the longest clear span of any surviving covered bridge in the world. It is 210 feet long.

These were the tolls of the day to cross the wooden bridge at Bridgeport, California back in 1862. That is cheap for sheep!!!

Englebright Reservoir - Nevada County, California

Visited on 3/9/2019, Jeff and I loaded up our dogs, Summer and Skye for a day adventure one hour north of our Ranch up to Nevada County, California.  This was a scattered rainy cloudy day, so we didn’t expect much, but just wanted to get out of the house and explore the South Yuba River area of Northern California.   We visited four lakes, two actually located in Nevada County and two in Placer County.  Englebright Reservoir was our first stop.  Lake Englebright (Englebright Reservoir) is at an elevation of 527 feet and is located off of Hwy 20 just west of Penn Valley, California.  The lake has a surface area of 815 acres with a shoreline of 24 miles that snakes 9 miles long above the dam.   The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in 1941 in the steep Yuba River gorge known as the Narrows and was constructed for the storage of hydraulic gold mining debris.  Englebright Dam is a concrete arch structure which spans 1,142 feet across and is 260 feet high.  Jeff and I were first amazed by the amount of houseboats we noticed anchored in the marina area.  Then secondly we realized that none of these houseboats were of the late model variety, all of them are aging!  No two houseboats were the same and many of them were two stories tall, they had been modified and homemade or some would say….custom!  

Lake Englebright is unique and a boat camper's bonanza with only boat-in camping allowed along the 24 mile shoreline.  They have a total of 18 campgrounds and 100 campsites available for use.  We visited the boat launch area near the dam and Park Headquarters, and then on around to Skipper’s Cove, where there is a Marina store and houseboats can also be rented.   The shoreline is steep and rocky with a private rural feel to it.  Most of the scenery is of grassy rolling hills dotted with pines and oaks.  Fishing and house boating appears to be the favorite pastime on this lake’s quiet narrow coves.  Reading one of the signs stated that waterskiing is allowed only on the first 2/3 of the lake from the dam.  On the day we visited the lake was at full capacity of 538 feet above sea level and the dam was cascading with a roar of the excess water.