Walker Creek (Marin County, California)
| Walker Creek | |
| stream | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Region | Marin County |
| District | West Marin |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Verde Canyon, Frink Canyon |
| - right | Chileno Creek, Keys Creek |
| Source | Confluence of Arroyo Sausal and Salmon Creek |
| - elevation | 233 ft (71 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°09′42″N 122°41′16″W / 38.16167°N 122.68778°W |
| Mouth | Tomales Bay |
| - location | south of Preston Point |
| - elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°12′30″N 122°55′49″W / 38.20833°N 122.93028°WCoordinates: 38°12′30″N 122°55′49″W / 38.20833°N 122.93028°W |
| Length | 18.5 mi (30 km) |
Walker Creek is a northwest-flowing stream in western Marin County, California, United States. It originates at the confluence of Salmon Creek and Arroyo Sausal and empties into Tomales Bay south of Dillon Beach, California.
Walker Creek is named for an early landowner in the area, Lewis W. Walker.
Chileno Creek is named for Chilean immigrants who settled the Chileno Valley, with encouragement from Adrian Godoy.
Keys Creek is named for Irish settler John Keyes, who settled on the creek in 1849 and used this once-important waterway to transport agricultural produce to San Francisco.
The Walker Creek watershed drains 76 square miles (200 km2) and ranges from 1,500 feet (460 m) to sea level where the creek empties into Tomales Bay just south of its mouth. The Walker Creek mainstem if formed by the confluence of Arroyo Sausal and Salmon Creek.
Arroyo Sausal heads at about 789 feet (240 m) and flows northwest, crossing Point Reyes-Petaluma Road into Hicks Valley then west to Soulajule Reservoir. This reservoir was constructed in 1968 in Arroyo Sausal and is managed by the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD). From here Arroyo Sausal joins Walker Creek at elevation 236 feet (72 m) at Marshall-Petaluma Road.
Salmon Creek heads at 800 feet (240 m) and flows west 4.5 miles (7.2 km) along Hicks Valley Road then Marshall-Petalum Road to meet Arroyo Sausal and form Walker Creek. Salmon Creek was described historically as a salmon and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) spawning and nursery area, although it has been seriously damaged by poor farming practices, dairy pollution and soil erosion.
From the confluence of Arroyo Sausal and Salmon Creek, Walker Creek descends to the northwest, paralleling Marshall-Petaluma Road as it curves westward. At the mouth of Verde Canyon, the creek crosses under the road and turns northwest, passing the mouth of Frink Canyon to a confluence with Chileno Creek. At the top of the Chileno Valley, a 220-acre natural lake, Laguna Lake, which straddles the Sonoma County - Marin County border and is the source of Chileno Creek, which flows 6.25 miles (10.06 km) west along Bolinas Ridge to Walker Creek.
From the Chileno Creek confluence, Walker Creek meanders westward, passing south of the town of Tomales, California. It crosses under Highway 1 at milepost 44.45 and is immediately joined by Keys Creek, entering from the north.
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Wikipedia