Dry Creek is a stream in Stanislaus County, California, that is a tributary to the

Tuolumne River The Tuolumne River (Yokutsan: ''Tawalimnu'') flows for through Central California, from the high Sierra Nevada to join the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley. Originating at over above sea level in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne ...

Course

Dry Creek originates just north of the

Modesto Reservoir Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...

. It then flows just north of the city of

Waterford, California Waterford is the eighth largest city in Stanislaus County, California, Stanislaus County, California, United States. The population was 8,456 at the 2010 census, up from 6,924 as of the 2000 census. Waterford is part of the Modesto, California, ...

. Continuing west, it flows through Modesto, California. This is the most flood prone area of its route, primarily in the La Loma area. Dry Creek then terminates at its confluence with the

adjacent to the

E & J Gallo Winery E & J Gallo Winery is a winery and distributor headquartered in Modesto, California. It was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo, and is the largest exporter of California wines. E & J Gallo Winery is the largest family-owned wi ...

in downtown Modesto. The Tuolumne River is a tributary of the

San Joaquin River The San Joaquin River (; es, Río San Joaquín) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suis ...

History

Dry Creek has been historically subject to flooding the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven ...

in the vicinity of present-day

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...

. Most of the

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...

was removed beginning around 1850, when significant numbers of immigrants were arriving in the area during the California Gold Rush.John Torrey, Paul Awosika et al., ''Expanded initial study, Boulder Creek subdivision, Stanislaus County'', Earth Metrics, Report 7999: California State Clearinghouse, Sacramento, November, 1989. The flooding that occurs is usually from periods of very high flow in the Tuolumne causing Dry Creek to back up.

References

Tuolumne River Rivers of Stanislaus County, California Tributaries of the San Joaquin River Rivers of Northern California {{California-river-stub

Course

History

See also

References