Upper Silver Creek
Arroyo de Socayre
Upper Silver Creek (Coyote Creek tributary) is located in California
Upper Silver Creek (Coyote Creek tributary)
Location of mouth
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionSanta Cruz Counties
Physical characteristics
SourceEdenvale Hills in southeast San Jose, California
 • coordinates37°14′45″N 121°43′27″W / 37.24583°N 121.72417°W / 37.24583; -121.72417[1]
 • elevation1,053 ft (321 m)[1]
MouthCoyote Creek
 • location
San Jose, California
 • coordinates
37°17′32″N 121°49′10″W / 37.29222°N 121.81944°W / 37.29222; -121.81944[1]
 • elevation
133 ft (41 m)[1]
Length8.3 mi (13.4 km)

Upper Silver Creek is a 8.3-mile-long (13.4 km)[1][2] northwestward-flowing stream originating in the Edenvale Hills in southeast San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. It was diverted for flood control due west where it is tributary to Coyote Creek, whose waters flow to south San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

History

Historically, Silver Creek was known as Arroyo de Socayre and ran through the Rancho Socayre.[3][4] Silver Creek was probably named for its silvery appearance, although the word "silver" may have been used to indicate nearby quicksilver (mercury ore) deposits.[5]

Watershed and course

The creek currently drains an area of over 6 square miles (16 km2) with its source in the Edenvalle Hills of southeast San Jose, California.[6] Upper Silver Creek and Thompson Creek both begin in the Edenvale Hills, and historically sank into the alluvial basin of Evergreen Valley in southeast San Jose. Then they resurfaced and flowed into a large freshwater marsh known historically as Laguna Socayre, and referred to more recently as Silver Creek Marsh.[7] In 1978, Silver Creek Marsh was excavated into a flood water detention pond or reservoir, now known as Lake Cunningham. Thus, Lower Silver Creek used to begin southwest of where Lake Cunningham is today, but now its source is regarded as just north of this artificial lake by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, now known as Valley Water.[8] In the 1970s, Upper Silver Creek flows were shunted due west into a flood control channel discharging directly to Coyote Creek south of Singleton Road.[9]

Ecology and conservation

In 1962 Upper Silver Creek was reported as an historical migration route and habitat for steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).[10] However, in July 1975, California Department of Fish & Game visually surveyed Upper Silver Creek between the U.S. Highway 101 bridge and the headwaters. The survey reportnoted an impassable culvert in the lower reach that was suspected of precluding use by salmonids.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed December 6, 2023
  2. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Silver Creek
  3. ↑ Robin Grossinger, Ruth Askevold, Chuck Striplen, Elise Brewster, Sarah Pearce, Kristen Larned, Lester McKee, Josh Collins (2006). Coyote Creek Watershed Historical Ecology Study: Historical Condition, Landscape Change, and Restoration Potential in the Eastern Santa Clara Valley, California (PDF) (Report). Oakland, California: San Francisco Estuary Institute. Retrieved December 6, 2023.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Juan Soto (1853). Chaboya v. U.S., Land Case No. 213 ND [Rancho Yerba Buena or Socayre],U.S. District Court, Northern District (Report). Berkeley, California: UC Berkeley The Bancroft Library. p. 7.
  5. ↑ Erwin Gustav Gudde (1960). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 310.
  6. ↑ Watershed management plan, Volume One unabridged, watershed characteristics report, Chapter 7 (Report). San Jose, California: Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative (SCBWMI). 2001.
  7. ↑ Janet M. Sowers, Justin T. Pearce (February 28, 2003). Geomorphology of the Historical Silver Creek Watershed (PDF) (Report). San Jose, California: Santa Clara Valley Water District. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ Christina Keenan and Mariah McPherson (November 12, 2003). The implementation of the Lower Silver Creek watershed project (Report). Berkeley, California: UC Berkeley: Water Resources Collections and Archives. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Robert A. Leidy, Gordon S. Becker, Brett N. Harvey (2005). Historical Distribution and Current Status of Steelhead/Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Streams of the San Francisco Estuary, California (Report). Oakland, CA: Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration (CEMAR). Retrieved December 5, 2023.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Skinner, John E. (1962). An Historical Review of the Fish and Wildlife Resources of the San Francisco Bay Area (The Mammalian Resources). California Department of Fish and Game, Water Projects Branch Report no. 1. Sacramento, California: California Department of Fish and Game.
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