Novato Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Novato Creek |
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Novato Creek in summer 2016
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 Location of the mouth within California
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| Native name | Spanish: Cañada de Novato |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Marin County |
| Cities | Novato, Bel Marin Keys |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Northeastern Marin County above Novato, California 1,100 ft (340 m) 38°8′36″N 122°38′33″W / 38.14333°N 122.64250°W |
| River mouth | 0 ft (0 m) 38°5′43″N 122°29′18″W / 38.09528°N 122.48833°W |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
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Novato Creek is a stream located in eastern Marin County, California, United States. It starts in the hills between Red Hill and Mount Burdell, near the city of Novato, California. The creek flows for about 17 miles (27 kilometers) before it reaches San Pablo Bay, which is part of the larger San Francisco Bay.
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History of Novato Creek
The very first people to live near Novato Creek were the Miwok and Pomo tribes. A very important Miwok village called Olompali was located at the base of Mount Burdell. In 1839, large Mexican land grants created Rancho Novato. When cattle grazed here, they brought new types of grass seeds. These new grasses eventually took over from the native plants. This changed how water flowed through the land.
By 1856, many apple orchards grew in the valley. People started to dig channels in the creeks to help water their crops. The marshlands near the bay, which were usually covered by tides, were also drained for farming, mostly to grow oats. In the 1880s, the creek was made deeper by dredging. This allowed large boats called schooners to travel up the creek to San Francisco.
Novato became an official city in 1960. A military base, Hamilton Air Force Base, was built nearby in 1932 and opened in 1935. It closed in 1974. Over time, changes in how the land was used caused more dirt and sand to build up in the lower parts of Novato Creek, making it shallower. Also, the construction of Stafford Dam in 1952 made the creek's drainage area bigger.
Novato Creek's Path and Watershed
A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains into a single river or creek. The Novato Creek watershed basin covers about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers). Novato Creek is joined by six main smaller streams, called tributaries, as it flows downstream. These include Leveroni, Bowman Canyon, Warner, Vineyard Creek, Arroyo Avichi, Arroyo de San Jose, and Simmonds Slough. Arroyo San Jose itself has two smaller streams joining it: Ignacio Creek and Pacheco Creek. The channels of Novato Creek and its tributaries are often eroded and cut deep into the land. This is one of the driest watersheds in Marin County.
Novato Creek starts west of Mount Burdell and first flows downhill to the west. Then, it turns south and east to flow into Stafford Lake. After the lake, it flows through the city of Novato. East of Novato, the creek goes under U.S. Route 101 and State Route 37. Finally, it flows through Bel Marin Keys and enters the northwest part of San Pablo Bay. Just before reaching the bay, Novato Creek flows past Bel Marin Keys, a community with lagoons, at an elevation of about 10 feet (3 meters) above sea level.
Animals and Plants in Novato Creek
The Novato Creek watershed is home to different types of fish, including steelhead trout (a type of rainbow trout) and Chinook salmon. These fish are known as salmonids. In total, 10 types of fish live in the Novato Creek watershed. Six of these are native, meaning they naturally belong there. These include California roach, Sacramento pikeminnow, Sacramento sucker, steelhead, threespine stickleback, and Prickly sculpin.
Four types of fish were introduced by people. These are rainwater killifish, western mosquitofish, striped bass, and green sunfish. In the past, a native fish called the tidewater goby also lived here, but the last one was seen in 1945.
Many wetland animals live along Rush Creek and in the lower Novato Creek wetlands. Some special birds found here are the San Pablo song sparrow, California black rail, saltmarsh common yellowthroat, and California clapper rail. You might also find Western pond turtles and bullfrogs in Novato Creek.
Bridges Over Novato Creek
Many bridges cross over Novato Creek. Here are some of them:
- A pair of 720-foot (219-meter) concrete bridges on State Route 37, built in 1959.
- A pair of 192-foot (58-meter) concrete bridges on U.S. 101, built in 1974.
- A pair of 187-foot (57-meter) concrete bridges on Redwood Boulevard in Novato, rebuilt in 1988.
- A 98-foot (30-meter) concrete bridge on Novato Boulevard in Novato, built in 1969.
- A 60-foot (18-meter) concrete bridge on Seventh Street in Novato, built in 1971.
- A 36-foot (11-meter) concrete bridge on Simmons Avenue in Novato, built in 1932 and rebuilt in 1970.
- A 36-foot (11-meter) concrete bridge on Grant Avenue in Novato, built in 1936.
- A 33-foot (10-meter) concrete bridge on Sutro Avenue in Novato, built in 1935 and rebuilt in 1972.
- A 32-foot (10-meter) concrete bridge on Diablo Avenue in Novato, built in 1966.
