Bon Tempe Lake

Bon Tempe Lake
Bon Tempe Lake Show map of California Bon Tempe Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Marin County, California
Coordinates	37°57′21″N 122°36′40″W[1]
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Lagunitas Creek
Primary outflows	Lagunitas Creek
Basin countries	United States
Surface elevation	718 ft (219 m)

Bon Tempe Lake is a reservoir in Marin County, California, managed by the Marin Municipal Water District. It is the widest lake in the Mount Tamalpais watershed, and on Lagunitas Creek. Beneath its dam is Alpine Lake.[2] Lake Lagunitas is immediately to its east.

Built in 1948 (77 years ago) (1948), with the construction of the earthen Bon Tempe Dam, the lake's name is an Americanization of the Bautunpi family name. The Bautunpi brothers ran a ranch and dairy that was removed with the creation of Bon Tempe and Alpine reservoirs.[3]

Fishing and hiking are activities around the lake. Rainbow trout and both largemouth and smallmouth bass are caught in the lake. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment released a warning regarding eating fish caught from this lake based on the elevated mercury level.[4]

See also

• List of dams and reservoirs in California
• List of lakes in California
• List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area

Notes

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bon Tempe Lake
2. TopoQuest map, USGS, retrieved September 17, 2007
3. Prado, Mark (April 24, 2012). "Marin Municipal Water District celebrates 100 years Wednesday". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
4. Admin, OEHHA (2014-12-30). "Bon Tempe Reservoir". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-06-11.