Nicasio Reservoir

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Nicasio Reservoir

Location	Marin County, California
Coordinates	38°04′36″N, 122°45′16″WCoordinates: 38°04′36″N, 122°45′16″W
Lake type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Nicasio Creek
Primary outflows	Nicasio Creek
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	845 acres (3.42 km²)^[1]
Water volume	22,400 acre feet (27,600,000 m³)^[1]
Surface elevation	144 feet (44 m)^[2]
Settlements	Nicasio, California

Nicasio Reservoir is a shallow, man-made reservoir in the Nicasio Valley region of Marin County, California, United States. It covers 845 acres (3.42 km²) and sits in a 35.9 square miles (93 km²) drainage basin. It was created by the construction of Seeger Dam on the Nicasio Creek in 1961. Seeger Dam is a 115-foot (35 m) tall, 400-foot (120 m) long earthen dam owned by the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD).^[1]

The construction in the dam aroused much controversy among longtime residents of the area.^{[citation needed]} The Marin Municipal Water District forced the displacement of many farms, including the McIsaac family farm, on which the majority of the reservoir sits.^[3]

The controversy stems from the fact that water from the reservoir is rarely used by the MMWD, being considered a "back-up" source for times of severe drought (1975-1977, etc).^{[citation needed]}

In addition, the building of this dam on Nicasio Creek wiped out the spawning salmon population in this area. There was an abbreviated attempt by the district to trap the salmon below the dam and transport them by truck further up Nicasio Creek and also Halleck Creek which was ultimately unsuccessful.^[3]

The reservoir is still used for recreational purposes; mainly fishing and hiking.