Uvas Reservoir

Uvas Reservoir
Location Santa Clara County, California
Coordinates 37°03′57″N 121°41′26″W / 37.06583°N 121.69056°W / 37.06583; -121.69056Coordinates: 37°03′57″N 121°41′26″W / 37.06583°N 121.69056°W / 37.06583; -121.69056
Type reservoir
Primary inflows Uvas Creek
Primary outflows Uvas Creek
Catchment area 32 sq mi (83 km2)
Basin countries United States
Surface area 288 acres (1.17 km2)[1]
Water volume 10,000 acre·ft (0.012 km3)
Surface elevation 440 ft (134 m)
References [1][2][3]

Uvas Reservoir is a reservoir in Santa Clara County, California in the United States, created in 1957 by the construction of Uvas Dam across Uvas Creek. Of the ten reservoirs owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, it is the fifth largest.[4] Its name "uvas," Spanish for grapes, comes from early Spanish settlers finding an abundance of wild grapes in the area.[5]

A 2013 deal between the Scoffone family and the Peninsula Open Space Trust to sell acres of the Uvas Reservoir park area to the trust resulted in a doubling of the park's size.[4] This property's first owner was Martin Murphy, one of the first people to settle in the Gilroy and Morgan Hill area. Over the years its ownership changed frequently. After Martin Murphy, Minne "Ma" Kell was the site's next owner.[4] She converted some portions of the space into a baseball diamond, dance floor, and campground.[4]

After Minnie Kell, land developer Roy came to own the expanse and attempted to build around 200 homes on the property.[4] Pacific Gas and Electric, using eminent domain, thwarted his development aspirations with, running a transmission line on the property.[4] Next the Scoffones, the most recent property holders, came to own the 357 acres (144 ha) now owned by the Peninsular Open Space Trust.[4]

The reservoir sits atop part of the Franciscan Formation, which also comprise much of the Foothill region's rocks to the east of the San Andreas Fault.[5] A variety of rocks from the formation can be found there, including slate, basalt, marble, and many others.[5]

Uvas Reservoir is located in one of 28 county parks owned by Santa Clara County and managed by the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department.[6][7] This 626-acre (253 ha) park surrounds the reservoir[8] and provides limited fishing[9] ("catch-and-release"), picnicking, and hiking activities. Boating is not permitted in the reservoir.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Uvas Reservoir". 2008-07-30.
  2. ↑ "Dams Within the Jurisdiction of the State of California" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  3. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Uvas Reservoir
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 “Land Deal Doubles Size of Protected Open Space around Uvas Reservoir South of San Jose.” N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 “Chitactac Adams-Uvas-Chesboro County Parks.” geologycafe.com. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web.
  6. ↑ "Uvas Reservoir. Parks and Recreation.". County of Santa Clara. June 2, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  7. ↑ "Welcome to all 28 wild and wonderful parks of Santa Clara County. Parks and Recreation. County of Santa Clara". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  8. ↑ Santa Clara County Parks: Uvas Reservoir
  9. ↑ Santa Clara County Parks: Fishing Guidelines
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