Coyote Lake (Santa Clara County, California)

Coyote Lake (also known as Coyote Reservoir) is an artificial lake in Santa Clara County, California, United States, between Morgan Hill and Gilroy.

Coyote Lake
Aerial view, May 2014
Coyote Lake Show map of California Coyote Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Santa Clara County, California
Coordinates	37°05′39″N 121°32′13″W
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Coyote Creek
Primary outflows	Coyote Creek
Catchment area	119.8 sq mi (310 km2)
Basin countries	United States
Managing agency	Santa Clara Valley Water District
Max. length	3.5 mi (6 km)
Max. width	0.5 mi (0.8 km)
Surface area	635 acres (2.6 km2)
Water volume	23,666 acre⋅ft (29,192,000 m3)
Surface elevation	774 feet (236 m)[1]
References	[2][1]

The reservoir is impounded by Coyote Dam, a 140-foot (43 m) high, 980-foot (300 m) long, earth and rock dam built in 1936. It holds 23,244 acre feet (28,671,009 m3) of water when full. It is the second largest reservoir owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.^[2]

A 4,595-acre county park ("Coyote-Bear") surrounds the reservoir,^[3] and provides camping (RVs and tents), fishing^[4] ("catch-and-release"), picnicking, and hiking activities. Swimming is not allowed by order of the Santa Clara Valley Water District.^[5] Power boating, jetskiing, waterskiing, sailing, canoeing/kayaking and fishing are all allowed in the reservoir.^[6] The boat launch ramp is located two miles north of the visitor center. It has two docks, a three-lane concrete ramp, paved parking and a restroom. For fisherman, the lake contains bluegill, black crappie, channel catfish, carp and black bass. The reservoir is closed to all boating between mid-October and mid-April.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe eating advisory for any fish caught in the Coyote lake due to elevated levels of mercury.^[7]

See also

• Coyote Lake (disambiguation) for other lakes of the same name
• List of lakes in California
• List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area
• List of reservoirs and dams in California

References

1. "Coyote Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. "Santa Clara Valley Water District: List of Reservoirs". Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
3. "Santa Clara County Parks: Coyote Lake Harvey Bear Ranch". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
4. "Santa Clara County Parks: Fishing Guidelines". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
5. "Santa Clara Valley Water District: Recreation Restrictions". Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-04. Swimming at Almaden, Coyote, Anderson and Calero reservoirs is prohibited by the state Department of Health to protect the drinking water supply from potential bacteriological contamination.
6. "Santa Clara County Parks: Boating Guidelines". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-03. Boating is permitted from 8am to ½ hour before sunset in the following reservoirs: Calero, Coyote Lake, Anderson, Stevens Creek and Lexington.
7. Admin, OEHHA (2019-08-12). "Coyote Lake". oehha.ca.gov. Retrieved 2019-08-14.