Soulajule Reservoir (Spanish: Soo-lɑː-huː-liː) is a reservoir in northwestern Marin County, California. It is located about 4.5 miles southwest of the border with Sonoma County, and about 5.5 miles northeast of Point Reyes Station. It was built in 1979 with the construction of the earth-fill Soulajule Dam along Arroyo Sausal, a tributary of Walker Creek.

Soulajule Reservoir
Arroyo Sausal Reservoir
LocationMarin County, California
Coordinates38°08′53″N 122°46′47″W / 38.14806°N 122.77972°W / 38.14806; -122.77972
TypeReservoir
Primary inflowsArroyo Sausal
Managing agencyMarin Municipal Water District
Built1979
Water volume10,572 acre-feet (13,040,000 m3)

History

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The land upon which Soulajule Reservoir is built was purchased January 1, 1979 for $1,648,224. The lake was constructed within the same year.[1][2]

Operation

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The Marin Municipal Water District is currently working on an electrification project for the Soulajule Reservoir pump station, that could pump water to Nicasio Reservoir without requiring the water district to rent a generator.[3][4] Mercury poisoning has been an issue in the Reservoir, especially since the 1982 winter storms and floods sent 170 pounds of mercury from an abandoned mine site into the creek. In 2017–2018, Marin County approved a $124,000 phase III to develop a plan to manage the mercury levels.[5]

Recreation

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Soulajule Reservoir is open to the public 7 days a week from sunrise to sunset. The most common fish in the reservoir is bass.[6] There are also limited hiking trails around the lake, although most of the lake is surrounded by private land. Boating and swimming in the lake is prohibited.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Notice of Meeting Board of Directors - September 25, 2018" (PDF). Marin Municipal Water District. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  2. ^ "About Our Water System | Marin Water". www.marinwater.org. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  3. ^ Marin Water Operations Committee (2023-07-21). Update on the Early Action Water Supply Projects (Phoenix & Soulajule) (PDF). Presentation at Marin Water. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  4. ^ "Soulajule Pump Station Electrification Project | Marin Water". www.marinwater.org. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  5. ^ "West Marin reservoir enters new mercury-mitigation phase". Marin Independent Journal. 2017-10-22. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  6. ^ Stienstra, Tom. "Soulajule Reservoir's hidden beauty". SFGATE. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  7. ^ "Dog-friendly Soulajule Reservoir". Retrieved 2024-05-03.