Study Area
The San Francisquito Creek watershed encompasses 45 mi2 and
includes a wide diversity of natural habitats and land use types. San
Francisquito Creek is the last riparian free-flowing urban creek on the
southern Peninsula of San Francisco Bay. The USGS monitors a 
gaging
station of real-time data for the San Francisquito Creek that is located
at Stanford University.
The creek begins as overflow from the Searsville Lake dam built in 1892
in
Stanford University's
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains,
which are part of the larger Coast Range. The creek flows generally northeastward
for 14 miles from its source to its terminus in San Francisco Bay. Elevations
range from approximately 762 meters (2,500 feet) to sea level. Rural areas
and open space characterize the upper part of the watershed, which is
hilly and rugged. In its lower reaches, the creek courses through densely
populated cities located in relatively flat-lying areas. In places, the
creek has carved a deep arroyo, with banks as high as 30 feet.
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For detail, click on the study area map. To print the image, save the image and then open it in an image/paint program or Microsoft Word. To save, right click on the image and do a "Save Link As..." using Netscape or "Save Target As..." using Internet Explorer. |
San Francisquito Creek is the boundary between Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and flows through parts of five municipalities -- Menlo Park, Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Portola Valley, and Woodside. It empties into San Francisco Bay at the city of East Palo Alto. The towns and cities in the watershed vary greatly in wealth from tremendous affluence to significant poverty.
The San Francisquito Creek watershed covers five USGS 7.5-minute quadrangles: Woodside, Palo Alto, Mountain View, La Honda, and Mindego Hill. The yellow boundary line on the study area map is an approximate watershed boundary.
The geology is complex and active. The San Andreas Fault zone crosses the upper part of the watershed and separates the Pacific and North American plates. Bedrock types include sandstone, shale, and serpentine.
The climate is Mediterranean, with cool, rainy winters and dry, warm summers. The vegetation includes redwood forest, mixed evergreen forest, oak woodland, chaparral, native and non-native grasslands, and wetland areas.
The creek and its watershed shelter many animal species, including pond turtles, red-legged frogs, tiger salamanders, different kinds of birds and bats, and several species of fish. The creek provides some of the best habitat for steehead trout in the South Bay.
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Introduction Study Area |
Framework GIS Project |
Digital Data Issues |
Contacts Links |
U.S. Department of the Interior
|| U.S. Geological Survey
|| National Mapping Information
|| Western Regional Geography
URL: http://geography.wr.usgs.gov/sfcreek/study_area.htmlDesigner and Maintainer: Connie Hoong, choong@usgs.gov Webmaster: Gary Sullivan, gsullivan@usgs.gov Last Modified: Wednesday, 15-Jan-2003 13:53:59 EST (cmh) Privacy Statement || Disclaimer || FOIA || Accessibility || Search |