Fountaingrove Lake is a reservoir in the city of

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Formed by the Fountaingrove Dam, the lake is fed from the east by

Piner Creek Piner Creek is a stream in northeast Santa Rosa, California, United States () which originates as an outlet of Fountaingrove Lake. Piner Creek discharges to Santa Rosa Creek which in turn joins the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The upper reaches in t ...

, which is also the lake's sole outlet. Fountaingrove Dam is an earthen dam built in 1953. It is high, long, and wide. In 1985, a private

country club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offer ...

known a
The Fountaingrove Club
built a championship 18-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

centered on Fountaingrove Lake. The golf course was designed by

Ted Robinson Ted Robinson may refer to: *Ted Robinson (golf course architect) (1923–2008), American golf course architect *Ted Robinson (sportscaster) (born 1957), American sportscaster *Ted Robinson (TV director) (born 1944), Australian television director/p ...

Sr. The dam and half the lake is owned by the city of Santa Rosa as th
Nagasawa Community Park

Ecology

Fountaingrove has significant aquatic as well as upland biota, and is noted for being a habitat of 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 ...

, ''Actinemys marmorata'', a "Species of Special Concern". Within the lake at its verges are significant densities of wetland plants; moreover, at upland locations there are many native trees, particularly

Coast live oak ''Quercus agrifolia'', the California live oak, or coast live oak, is a highly variable, often evergreen oak tree, a type of live oak, native to the California Floristic Province. It may be shrubby, depending on age and growing location, but is g ...

, ''Quercus agrifolia'' and

Garry oak ''Quercus garryana'' is an oak tree species of the Pacific Northwest, with a range stretching from southern California to southwestern British Columbia. It is commonly known as the Oregon white oak or Oregon oak or, in Canada, the Garry oak. It ...

, ''Quercus garryana''. Fishing has historically been conducted within the lake, although golf course and other urban development around the perimeter has reduced these practices.

Environmental factors

The

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

at Fountaingrove Lake is a mild

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

climate typical of southern and central

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

. Approximately 29.2 inches (74.2 cm) of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

occur at Fountaingrove Lake annually, almost entirely in the form of rainfall. The record high and low temperatures for this locale are 110 °F (43 °C) and 16 °F (-9 °C) respectively. Air quality is generally good since prevailing winds are from the northwest and intercept little industry as the winds travel from the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. Sound levels have increased steadily with the growth of Santa Rosa, with the principal local sound source being Fountaingrove Parkway; sound levels from vehicles ascending the steep grades of that arterial can attain levels of 55 to 58 dBA at the environs of Fountaingrove Lake.

Current issues

Due to the

Tubbs Fire The Tubbs Fire was a wildfire in Northern California during October 2017. At the time, the Tubbs Fire was the most destructive wildfire in California history, burning parts of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties, inflicting its greatest losses in ...

, many of the surrounding neighborhoods were destroyed, along with some of the coastline of the lake. A

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

storage tank Storage tanks are containers that hold liquids, compressed gases (gas tank; or in U.S.A "pressure vessel", which is not typically labeled or regulated as a storage tank) or mediums used for the short- or long-term storage of heat or cold. The t ...

was proposed near the southern end of Fountaingrove Lake; the city of Santa Rosa has approved this project to add to the municipal

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

supply, subject to

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

control measures to protect Fountaingrove Lake from excessive

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when ...

ation.Minutes of Santa Rosa City Council Meeting October 10, 2000
A substantial

retirement community A retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults who are generally able to care for themselves; however, assistance from home care agencies is allowed in some communities, and activities and socializ ...

known as ''Varenna'' is under development as of 2007 on the

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

top at the southeastern perimeter of Fountaingrove Lake. The ''Varenna'' project had not made

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s mitigation environmental filings in a timely manner with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding certain filling of perimeter wetlands of Fountaingrove Lake associated with its development project; therefore, additionally off-site mitigation was required of the project to compensate the people of California for the wetlands destruction at Fountaingrove Lake. On site mitigation measures include extensive erosion protection for cut slopes and installation of

bioswale Bioswales are channels designed to concentrate and convey stormwater runoff while removing debris and pollution. Bioswales can also be beneficial in recharging groundwater. Bioswales are typically vegetated, mulched, or xeriscaped. They consi ...

References

{{authority control Geography of Santa Rosa, California Reservoirs in California Reservoirs in Sonoma County, California Reservoirs in Northern California

Ecology

Environmental factors

Current issues

See also

References