Bear Creek is one of two primary
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...
to
Cache Creek in the U.S. state of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, the other being the North Fork of Cache Creek. It is the only tributary to Cache Creek not impounded by a
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
; the North Fork is impounded by
Indian Valley Dam and Reservoir, while the Cache Creek
main stem
In hydrology, a mainstem (or trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". Water enters the mainstem from the river's drainage basin, the land area through which the mainstem and its tributaries flow.. A ...
is impounded by
Cache Creek Dam.
Because of elevated mercury levels in fish, the
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, commonly referred to as OEHHA (pronounced oh-EEE-ha), is a specialized department within the cabinet-level California Environmental Protection Agency ( CalEPA) with responsibility for evaluatin ...
br>
recommendsthat no one eat fish or shellfish from this water body.
Watershed
Bear Creek begins within
Bear Valley and flows south for approximately 25 miles draining a watershed of 130 square miles in the lower elevations of the
Inner Coastal Range entirely in
Colusa County
Colusa County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,839. The county seat is Colusa. It is in the North Valley of California, northwest of the state capital, Sacramento.
History
C ...
. Bear Creek terminates at the confluence of Cache Creek just before crossing the
Yolo County
Yolo County (; Wintun: ''Yo-loy''), officially the County of Yolo, is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 216,403. Its county seat is Woodland.
Yolo County is incl ...
line in Cache Creek Canyon.
Wildlife
Bear Creek provides a perennial habitat for fish to navigate throughout the year. By far, the most common fish found in Bear Creek is the Native
California Roach
The California roach (''Hesperoleucus symmetricus'') is a cyprinid fish native to western North America and abundant in the intermittent streams throughout central California. Once considered the sole member of its genus, it has recently been sp ...
. The creek also provides habitat for a wide assortment of other creatures including amphibians such as the
Western Pond Turtle
The Western pond turtle (''Actinemys marmorata''), also known commonly as the Pacific pond turtle is a species of small to medium-sized turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the western coast of the United States and Mexico, r ...
and other water based organisms. Due to its perennial nature, Bear Creek also provides a reliable water supply to other creatures, thereby attracting large mammals such as
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
and the Native California
Tule Elk.
References
{{reflist
Bodies of water of Colusa County, California
Rivers of Colusa County, California