Mill Creek (Mono Lake)

Mill Creek is a 14.5-mile-long (23.3 km)[5] perennial stream that flows east from the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range into Mono Lake, in Mono County, California. It courses through Lundy Canyon[6] and Lundy Lake, before passing through Mono City, California on its way to Mono Lake.

Mill Creek
Beaver dam on Mill Creek in Lundy Canyon
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Mono and Tuolumne County
City	Mono City
Physical characteristics
Source	Lake Cascade
• location	Sierra Nevada
• coordinates	37°59′06″N 119°18′29″W
• elevation	10,400 ft (3,200 m)
Mouth	Mono Lake
• location	Mono City, California
• coordinates	38°00′58″N 119°07′42″W[1]
• elevation	6,378 ft (1,944 m)
Length	14.5 mi (23.3 km)
Basin size	24.7 sq mi (64 km^2)
Discharge
• location	Below Lundy Lake[2]
• average	25.6 cu ft/s (0.72 m^3/s)[3]
Basin features
Tributaries
• right	South Fork Mill Creek[4], Deer Creek (Tehama County, California)

Watershed

Approximately 81 percent of the annual runoff of Mill Creek in the Mono Basin has been attributed to snowmelt, occurring from April through September, and the remaining 19 percent of the annual streamflow occurs as base flow from October through March.[7]

History

William O. Lundy obtained a timber patent here in 1880. The settlement near the May lundy Mine was first known as Mill Creek.[8] diverted to generate hydroelectric power in the early years of the 20th century. In 1911, the Lundy Project was completed and the dam raised the natural outlet of Lundy Lake 37 feet to an elevation of 7,803 feet so that hydroelectric power could be generated by the Southern Sierra Power Company.[7]

Ecology

It is controversial whether North American beaver (Castor canadensis) were native to Mill Creek and the Mono Basin. Beaver were introduced, or re-introduced, along Mill Creek in the Mono Basin by the California Department of Fish and Game in the 1950s. The population thrives above Lundy Reservoir for nearly the entire length of upper Lundy Canyon and in recent years has been spreading to nearby creeks, including Wilson Creek, DeChambeau Creek, and Lee Vining Creek.[7]

Hiking

The Lundy Canyon trail leads past several cascading waterfalls to Lake Helen, then becomes more moderate in the "20 Lakes Basin". Trails circle toward Saddlebag lake and to the foot of North Peak and Mount Conness on the Yosemite National Park boundary.[9]

See also

• Beaver in the Sierra Nevada
• List of rivers in California
• Mono Lake

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mill Creek
2. "USGS Gage #10287070 on Mill Creek below Lundy Lake near Mono Lake (Actual): Monthly Streamflow". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1969–1990. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
3. "USGS Gage #10287070 on Mill Creek below Lundy Lake near Mono Lake (Actual): Monthly Streamflow". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1969–1990. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
4. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: South Fork Mill Creek
5. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed March 17, 2011
6. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lundy Canyon
7. Mark Drew, Holly Alpert, Rick Kattelmann, and Austin McInerny (2011-01-06). Draft Inyo-Mono Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (PDF) (Report). Inyo-Mono Regional Water Management Group. Retrieved 2011-01-06.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
8. Erwin G. Gudde, William Bright (2004). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. University of California Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-520-24217-3. Retrieved 2011-01-05.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
9. "Lundy Canyon Trail". USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 2011-01-06.

External links

• Mono Lake Committee