Water-resources reconnaissance of Whiskeytown National Recreation area, California
Page RW. 1969. Water-resources reconnaissance of Whiskeytown National Recreation area, California. United States Geological Survey. Menlo Park, CA
The Whiskeytown National Recreation Area lies about 6 miles west of Redding, Calif, in an area of extreme relief. In 1967, the area accommodated about 414,000 people and used about 4, 600,000 gallons of water. The major source of water was Whiskeytown Lake. Minor sources were ground water and water from creeks. Geologic units in the area consist of the Copley Greenstone, Balaklala Rhyolite, Bragdon Formation, Mule Mountain stock, Shasta Bally batholith, and unconsolidated deposits. Where penetrated by wells, those units yield small to moderate quantities of water. Clear Creek has the largest drainage basin (115 square miles) from which water flows into the area and a larger streamflow in the autumn, winter, and spring than in summer. Other creeks in the area have much smaller drainage basins yet probably have streamflow patterns similar to that of Clear Creek. Creeks with very small basins are intermittent. With the exception of iron in the water of one well, the analyzed constituents in the water of the area do not exceed the limits recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service. Bacteriological suitability of the water for drinking was not determined. For future recreation and service sites, Whiskeytown Lake is the best source for water; the next best source is water from selected creeks.