Calaveras Reservoir

Calaveras Reservoir[1]
Location of Calaveras Reservoir in California, USA.
Location of Calaveras Reservoir in California, USA.
Calaveras Reservoir[1]
Location of Calaveras Reservoir in California, USA.
Location of Calaveras Reservoir in California, USA.
Calaveras Reservoir[1]
LocationSanta Clara / Alameda counties, California, US
Coordinates37°28′43″N 121°49′21″W / 37.4785°N 121.8226°W / 37.4785; -121.8226
TypeReservoir
Primary inflowsArroyo Hondo
Calaveras Creek
Catchment area98.4 sq mi (255 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Built1925; 99 years ago (1925)
(replaced 2019; 5 years ago (2019))
Surface area1,450 acres (590 ha)
Water volume96,850 acre⋅ft (119,460,000 m3) (design)
Surface elevation781 feet (238 m)
References[2]
Calaveras Reservoir in Spring 2006
Calaveras Reservoir in June 2021
Aerial view from over north San Jose

Calaveras Reservoir is located primarily in Santa Clara County, California, with a small portion and its dam in Alameda County, California. In Spanish, Calaveras means "skulls".

The reservoir is fed mainly by Arroyo Hondo and Calaveras Creek. Lying in the Calaveras Valley, the region is geologically active with the Calaveras Fault parallel to and to the west of the dam site. The seismic hazard forced replacement of the original dam. The replacement dam began construction in 2011 and was completed in 2019.

The Calaveras Valley has diverse wildlife including deer, coyotes, squirrels, turkey vultures, red-winged blackbirds, yellow-billed magpies, red-tailed hawks, brewer's blackbirds, purple martins, barn swallows, bullock's orioles, and warblers. Since at least 2008, a pair of bald eagles has nested regularly.[3]

  1. ^ California, State of. "Dam Profile for". cdec.water.ca.gov. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Calaveras Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ Von Rospach, Chuq. "Calaveras Bald Eagle Nest 2013". Chuq von Rospach: Stories Told Here. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.