Los Gatos Creek Drying Up After Water District Cuts Off Flow, Leaving Wildlife
LOS GATOS (CBS SF) -- The impact of California's drought is readily apparent in Bay Area creeks, and the picture isn't very pretty for the wildlife depending on them.
The water supply to the Los Gatos Creek was cut off about three weeks ago in a conservation measure to protect the Lexington Reservoir in the Santa Cruz Mountains, drying up a two-mile stretch of the creek.
"Some of these trees look like they are getting drought stress. They are getting early browning of the leaves, and there is actually extra leaf fall going on," Santa Clara Valley Water District Biologist Jae Abel said.
Water managers feel the move may actually help the ecosystem in the long run.
"We are hoping that the fish that are surviving in the upper part of the creek, once the rain starts, will repopulate this area of the creek," Marty Grimes of the water district said.
The district says the Lexington Reservoir would have been below the intake pipes by October had the creek supply not been cut back.