Napa Valley
The combination of Mediterranean climate, geography and geology of the valley are conducive to growing quality wine grapes. The valley floor is flanked by the Mayacamas Mountain Range on the western and northern sides the Vaca Mountains on the eastern side. Several smaller valleys also exist within these two ranges. The floor of the main valley gradually rises from sea level at the southern end to 362 feet (110 m) above sea level at the northern end in Calistoga at the foot of Mount Saint Helena. The Oakville and Rutherford American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) lie within a geographical area known as the Rutherford Bench in the center of the valley floor. The soil in the southern end of the valley consists mainly of sediments deposited by earlier advances and retreats of San Pablo Bay while the soil at the northern end of the valley contains a large volume of volcanic lava and ash. Several of the small hills that emerge from the middle of the valley floor near Yountville are indicators of the region's volcanic past.
Lake Berryessa and East Napa
Lake Berryessa located in east Napa, is the largest lake in Napa County. The lake is flanked by mountains on all sides, Adams Ridge to the north, Cedar Roughs on the west, and Blue Ridge on the east and south. This reservoir is formed by the Monticello Dam, which provides water and hydroelectricity to the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.
The lake was named for the first European settlers in the Berryessa Valley, José Jesús and Sexto "Sisto" Berrelleza (a Basque surname, Anglicized to Berreyesa then later respelled Berryessa), who were granted Rancho Las Putas in 1843.
Prior to its inundation, the valley was an agricultural region, whose soils were considered among the finest in the country. The main town in the valley, Monticello, was abandoned in order to construct the reservoir. This abandonment was chronicled by the photographers Dorothea Lange and Pirkle Jones in their book Death of a Valley.
Construction of Monticello Dam was begun in 1953, and the reservoir filled by 1963, creating what at the time was the second-largest reservoir in California after Shasta Lake.
The lake was heavily used for recreational purposes. It encompases over 20,000 acres when full. The reservoir is approximately 15.5 miles long, but only 3 miles wide. It has approximately 165 miles of shoreline. It has a seaplane landing area that is open to the public. One of the larger islands supported a small plane landing area, but was closed down in the early 1970s after the FAA issued a safety report.
The lake is fed by the head waters to the 576 square mile Putah Creek watershed. It has a storage capacity of 1,602,000 acre feet, making it one of the larger reservoirs in California.
Though the land behind the Monticello Dam is in Napa County, the water contained above is essentially owned by Solano County. The water is used for hydroelectric and agricultural purposes outside of Napa County, CA.
East Napa is a diverse region with several valleys including Pope Valley, Chiles Valley, and Wooden Valley. The town of Angwin is nestled at the top of Howell Mountain.
Cities and towns
American Canyon, Calistoga, Napa, St. Helena, Yountville
Unicorporated Communities
Aetna Springs, Angwin, Berryessa Highlands, Capell Valley, Chiles Valley, Circle Oaks, Deer Park, Dry Creek, Gordon Valley, Lokoya, Los Carneros, Monticello, Moskowite Corner, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Pope Valley, Rutherford, Soda Canyon, Spanish Flat, Vichy Springs
Rivers and Creeks
Napa River, Milliken Creek, Putah Creek
Lakes, Marshes and Reservoirs
East Napa Reservoir, East Side Reservoir, Fiege Reservoir, Lake Berryessa, Lake Hennessey, Lake Marie, Lake Orville, Lake Whitehead, Milliken Reservoir, Napa Sonoma Marsh, Rector Reservoir, West Napa Reservoir
Napa County Area
- Total 788 sq mi
- Land 754 sq mi
- Water 35 sq mi, 4.38%
edited source: wikipedia.org/Napa County/Napa Valley