Alpine Lake (Marin County, California)
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Alpine Lake is a
reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
in
Marin County, California Marin County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat a ...
. Formed by Alpine Dam, it provides water to the
Marin Municipal Water District The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is the government agency that provides drinking water to southern and central Marin County, California. Chartered in 1912, it became California's first municipal water district. It serves 191,000 customers ...
. Below the dam lies Kent Lake.TopoQuest map
USGS, July 5, 2008 Alpine Lake is to the west of Bon Tempe Lake. Fishing is allowed, and Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and trout can be caught. Boats and wading are not allowed on the lake.


Alpine Dam

Alpine Dam (national ID number: CA00204) is a gravity dam which was completed in . It is long and high, with of freeboard. In 1912, the
Marin Municipal Water District The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is the government agency that provides drinking water to southern and central Marin County, California. Chartered in 1912, it became California's first municipal water district. It serves 191,000 customers ...
, serving San Rafael, the Ross Valley and all of southern Marin, was the first municipal water district to be created in California. One of district's first tasks was to build Alpine Dam to provide drinking water for the county's growing population. The dam was designed with consultation provided by Michael O’Shaughnessy, who was, at the time, a board member of the district. Construction on Alpine started in the summer of 1917, but the outbreak of World War I led to shortages of labor and materials for the contractor. In January 1918 district took over the building of Alpine Dam and construction was completed a year later. When first built, the reservoir held just over a billion gallons of water, but the dam was raised in 1924 and again in 1941. The reservoir now has a capacity approaching 3 billion gallons and continues to play a vital role in supplying fresh water to thousands of people in the district.


Hiking

Kent Trail along Alpine Lake : A trail that takes place just off the shores of Alpine Lake, up through a redwood forest onto a manzanita-covered ridge with great views. −Distance: 5.2-mile lollipop loop −Difficulty: Moderate −Dogs: Allowed on leash


See also

* Lake Alpine * List of dams and reservoirs in California *
List of lakes in California There are more than 3,000 named lakes, reservoirs, and dry lakes in the U.S. state of California. Largest lakes In terms of area covered, the largest lake in California is the Salton Sea, a lake formed in 1905 which is now saline. It occup ...
* List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area


Notes

{{authority control Reservoirs in Marin County, California Mount Tamalpais Reservoirs in California Reservoirs in Northern California