Warm Springs Dam
Webpage created by Jafar Faghih on June 11, 1999.
Warm Springs Dam
Lake Sonoma
Warm Springs Dam General Information
Dam Location/Directions
Take Highway 101 towards Healdsburg. From Healdsburg, take Dry Creek exit. Travel west onto Dry Creek Road. The Park Headquarters and Visitor Center are located 11 miles northwest of Healdsburg near the town of Geyserville and approximately 80 miles north San Francisco. The dam is located at the confluence of the Warm Springs Creek and Dry Creek. Section 18 NE/4, Skaggs Springs 7 1/2' Quadrangle.
Ownership/Operators
The dam was constructed in 1983 and is operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The reservoir/dam is in the South Pacific Division and the San Francisco District.
Technical Contact
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Lake Sonoma
3333 Skaggs Springs Road
Geyserville, CA 95441-96444
Phone: (707) 433-9483
Fax: (707) 431-0313
Email: LSonoma@smtp.spd.usace.army.mil
Visitor Center
The Milt Brandt Visitor Center, located at the entrance of the park, is open year round 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The center features exhibits on Warm Springs Dam, Lake Sonoma, the history of the Dry Creek Valley, and the Pomo Indians that inhabited the region. The center also has an information booth with a park ranger stationed there at all times, various pamphlets, regular lectures and audio-visual activities, and souvenirs. Group tours and ranger programs can be arranged by calling (707) 433-9483, ext. 3040.
Warm Springs Dam Design and Construction:
Construction Type
| Lake Size | Flood Pool | Pool | Minimum Pool |
| Elevation: | 495 ft | 451 ft | 292 ft |
| Surface Area: | 3600 ac | 2700 ac | 486 ac |
| Shoreline: | 73 mi | 53 mi | 17 mi |
| Creek Lengths: | |||
| Dry Creek: | 12 mi | 9 mi | 5 mi |
| Warm Springs Creek: | 7 mi | 4 mi | 2 mi |
Warm Springs Dam Current Uses and Operations:
Reservoir Background
The United States Army Corps of Engineers completed construction on Warm Spring Dam in 1983. The earthfill dam was placed on Dry Creek, a major tributary of the Russian River, which led to the creation of Lake Sonoma. The project included a spillway, a downstream outlet, a recreational facility, a fish hatchery, and channel improvements downstream. The dam's main purposes are to provide flood protection, store water for irrigation and municipalities, and create a lake for recreation.
The short term detrimental environmental effects included the displacement of residents, increased erosion, increased turbidity, changes in the air quality, increased noise, changes in wildlife habitats, and increased traffic and litter. The dam led to the building of 24 miles of new roads, 3 new bridges, 15 miles of electric power lines, and 9 miles of telephone lines. The long term benefits included flood protection downstream, increased water supply, increased economic activity around the lake increased in the recreational opportunities such as boating, swimming, camping, picnicking, and fishing.
The dam is located where Dry Creek meets Warm Springs Creek. The upstream face of the dam is rip-rapped to protect against wave action. To prevent seepage, through the dam, it has an impervious core. The foundation is protected from seepage by a cement grouted curtain. The downstream face has a layer of soil and vegetation. All of the embankment material was taken from the dam's vicinity and it totaled 30 million cubic yards.
Recreational Facilities
The US Army Corps of Engineers retained F.E. Jordan Associates, Inc. to conduct the preliminary design services for the recreational sites on Lake Sonoma. The work involved analyzing the various water supply systems for domestic water use, fire protection, and irrigation water. The firm also looked at a small craft marina, a boat launch facility, residences, a general store, and several picnic/beach areas. The design included two recreational facilities of 330 acres, a 230 boat marina, 1,000 ft boat launch ramp, a pier, three beaches, 5,00 ft of trails, numerous picnic and camping sites, and a wastewater treatment plant.
Reservoir Storage/Flood Control
Warm Springs Dam is part of the Russian River Flood Control Dams along with Coyote Valley Dam, which forms Lake Mendocino on the East fork of the Russian River. During the 1996/1997 storm event the two dams worked well in preventing downstream flooding. It was estimated that the dams prevented $40 million in damages in the 1,485 square mile Russian River Basin approximately 65 miles north of San Francisco. Although the dams do provide adequate flood protection the US Army Corps of Engineers believes that the releases from the dams may be causing problems downstream in the basin (see Concerns For Future Operations).
Lake Sonoma has a capacity of 381,000 acre-ft. The Environmental Impact Statement that was produced in 1973 divided the water into 130,000 acre-ft for flood control, 212,000 acre-ft for water conservation, and 26,000 acre-ft for sediment accumulation during the 100 year economic life of the project based on a study done by the Department of Agriculture.
Water Deliveries
The Russian River Basin, which includes Warm Springs Dam and Dry Creek, provides water to both Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. These counties contain over 500,000 residents as well as many agricultural water users. The population of the these counties continue to rise and thus the need for water is always very important. The demands on the limited water supply are impacting the ecological balance of the river, threatening fish, wildlife, and the natural system.
The city of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, and Forestville receive 29 taf/yr, while Novato, Petaluma, the Valley of the Moon, and Sonoma receive 25 taf/yr. The largest city in the region, Santa Rosa, is allotted 50 million gallons of water per day from the Russian River's two dams, Warm Springs and Coyote.
Fisheries Flows
Before construction of the dam 8,000 steelhead trout and 300 coho salmon
migrated across Dry Creek. However, the dam blocked the upstream migration
of 6,000 of the trout and 100 of the salmon. Therefore, the Congressman
Don Clausen Fish Hatchery was built next to the dam, behind the Visitor Center.
The state of the art hatchery is operated by the Department of Fish and Game
and has the following annual reproduction:
| Fish | Mitigation | Enhancement |
| Steelhead: | 300,000 yearlings | --------------- |
| Silver Salmon: | 10,000 yearlings | 100,000 yearlings |
| Chinook Salmon: | --------------- | 1,000,000 smolt |
Recent Operating Challenges
The Russian River Basin has had some significant changes due to the addition of Warm Springs Dam and the Coyote Valley Dam. The dams have caused a significant drop in the base level of the main reach of the river, which has caused tributaries to downcut, undermining bridges, and exposing water and sewer utilities. The dams have also lowered the groundwater levels in the floodplain, increased the bank saturation, increased channel scour, destroyed some riparian wetlands, and threatened the steelhead trout and coho salmon.
As a result of these concerns over the status of the Russian River Basin, the Russian River Watershed Council was formed to investigate solutions. American Rivers, Inc. has declared the Russian River the 15th most threatened river in the North America. The San Francisco District of the US Army Corps of Engineers had a fiscal year budget for 1998 of $142,000 to work on these problems.
Concerns For Future Operations
The Russian River Watershed Council will develop management strategies with the following goals in mind: