Lake Temescal
| Lake Temescal | ||
|---|---|---|
Primary inflows Temescal Creek | | |
| Primary outflows | Temescal Creek | |
| Basin countries | United States | |
| Max. depth | 20 ft (6.1 m) | |
| Surface elevation | 433 ft (132 m) | |
Lake Temescal is a small
History
The lake received its name from the stream which is its source,
The shores of the lake were a popular camping spot with bohemian artists and writers in the late 1800s.[2] The British painter J.H.E. Partington lived here in a tent with his family when they arrived in Oakland in 1889.[3]
During the first half of the 20th century, the tracks of the
Until the mid 1930s, Lake Temescal extended northeastward into Temescal Canyon. This arm of the lake was traversed by a trestle for the Sacramento Northern railway until the inlet was filled in as part of the Broadway Tunnel (
In 1936, Lake Temescal opened to the public as one of the first three parks established by the East Bay Regional Park District. Its early amenities included a beach-like shore for swimming, a boathouse built by the WPA, a well established trail around the lake, and numerous picnic benches.
Present-day function
The lake currently supports an artificial recreational beach and is stocked periodically with rainbow trout, largemouth bass, redear sunfish, bluegill, and catfish. The park is open to all visitors from 5 am to 10 pm, and receives around 200,000 visitors a year.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has developed a safe eating advisory for Lake Temescal based on levels of mercury or PCBs found in fish caught from this water body.[6]
The lake is constantly becoming shallower due to sediment runoff and must be periodically dredged. Today it is approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) at its deepest point;[7] previously it was 80 feet (24 m) deep.[8]
Since the dam crosses the Hayward Fault, there is a possibility of dam failure in the event of an earthquake, which would cause serious flooding in parts of Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville. However, due to the additional fill placed between the dam and Highway 24, any hydraulic failure is now unlikely.
During the
The beach house is available for event rentals, such as weddings.
The park's beach and swim area have periodically closed on and off due to an outbreaks of toxic
See also
- List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Index: East Bay Regional Park District
Notes
- ^ a b Chinese Workers and the East Bay's Early Water Systems
- ^ Schenck, Marvin A. (1991). Maurice Logan, Artist and Designer. Retrieved on 2006-16-09.
- ^ Oakland Museum of California (March 9, 2002). Exhibition label: Scene in Oakland. Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2006-16-09.
- ^ Pacific Service Magazine, vol.14, p.175, 346 (1922)
- ISBN 0-7385-2926-5.
- ^ Pham, Huyen Tran (2017-11-07). "Lake Temescal". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
- ^ Perry v. East Bay Regional Park Dist. (--- Cal.Rptr.3d ---, 2006 WL 1620299, Cal.App. 1 Dist., June 13, 2006).
- ISBN 0-7385-2926-5.
- ^ "Toxic algae bloom shuts down 2 popular East Bay lakes. Here's what this means for visitors". ABC7 San Francisco. 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-08-05.