Penitencia Creek

This article is about the creeks by this name. For the light rail station, see Penitencia Creek (VTA).
Upper Penitencia Creek
Arroyo de la Penitencia,[1] Encarnacion Arroyo[2]
Native nameShistuk (Ohlone)[3]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionSanta Clara County
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationPoverty Ridge, Diablo Range
 • coordinates37°25′15″N 121°44′12″W / 37.42083°N 121.73667°W / 37.42083; -121.73667[4]
 • elevation2,955 ft (901 m)
MouthCoyote Creek
 • location
San Jose, California
 • coordinates
37°22′03″N 121°52′49″W / 37.36750°N 121.88028°W / 37.36750; -121.88028[4]
 • elevation
66 ft (20 m)[4]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftArroyo Aguague

Upper Penitencia Creek is actually one of two creeks by the name Penitencia Creek in the northeastern Santa Clara Valley of Santa Clara County, California. They are both tributaries of Coyote Creek. The upper creek was diverted southwestward, connecting it directly to Coyote Creek ca. 1850 by a farmer to irrigate his fields, permanently splitting Upper Penitencia Creek from Lower Penitencia Creek.[5] Upper Penitencia Creek drains the western slopes of Mount Hamilton of the Diablo Range, and passes through Alum Rock Park, before ending at its confluence with Coyote Creek at Berryessa Road. In December 2018, the San Francisco Estuary Institute published a report commissioned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District to establish a vision for Upper Penitencia Creek's lower four miles focusing on ways "to expand flow conveyance and flood water storage from the Coyote Creek confluence upstream to the Dorel Drive bridge in a manner that works with the existing landscape features and supports habitats for native species".[6]

Lower Penitencia Creek flows along the historic Mission Road between Mission Santa Clara and Mission San Jose. It runs through the city of Milpitas before receiving flows from Berryessa Creek, Piedmont Creek, Arroyo de los Coches, Tularcitos Creek and Calera Creek before entering Coyote Creek near Dixon Landing Road at the southern end of San Francisco Bay.[7][8]

  1. ^ Erwin G. Gudde; William Bright (1949). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. C-242. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  2. ^ Hubert H. Bancroft (1886). History of California. 1884-90. San Francisco, California: A.L. Bancroft and Company. p. 184. Retrieved 2011-05-14. encarnacion arroyo.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference SCVWD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Penitencia Creek
  5. ^ Beller, Erin; Grossinger, Robin; Nicholson, Maika; Salomon, Micha (June 2012). Upper Penitencia Creek Historical Ecology Assessment (PDF) (Report). Richmond, California: San Francisco Estuary Institute. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  6. ^ Richey, A.; Dusterhoff, S. D.; McKnight, K.; Salomon, M.; Hagerty, S.; Askevold, R. A.; Grossinger, R. M. (December 2018). Resilient Landscape Vision for Upper Penitencia Creek. SFEI Contribution No. 894 (Report). Richmond, California: San Francisco Estuary Institute - Aquatic Science Center. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  7. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lower Penitencia Creek
  8. ^ "Lower Penitencia Creek Watershed Map". Oakland Museum. Retrieved 2011-05-14.