Overview
Putah Creek
Putah Creek is the primary drainage for the UC Davis campus, forming a not so vital link in the hydrologic cycle between mountain and sea, but a very vital link between mountain runoff and farmers.
- The portion of Putah Creek moving through UC Davis is the lowermost reach of a creek that drains a large watershed originating in springs on Cobb Mountain. Putah Creek flows through Middletown and eventually empties into Berryessa Reservoir.
- Below the Putah Creek Diversion Dam, Putah Creek is diverted for use in Solano County and UC Davis before flowing through a levee-controlled channel past Winters, south of Davis and terminating in the toe drain of the Yolo Bypass.
- Lower Putah Creek, which once supported over 22,000 acres of lush riparian forest, has been modified over the years into a regulated stream following an unnatural channel and supporting many introduced species of plants and animals. Putah Creek's main channel was historically its north fork, which runs through campus (the present day UC Davis Arboretum).
- For flood control, the Army Corps of Engineers diverted all of the flow to the south fork, which is obviously the new main channel.
- Lower Putah Creek Watershed portal
General
Project | Solano |
Watercourse | Putah Creek |
Original Construction | 1957 |
Modified Construction | CA10180 |
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