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Mill Creek (Mono Lake) facts for kids

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Mill Creek
Lundy Canyon Beaver Dam.jpg
Beaver dam on Mill Creek in Lundy Canyon
Country United States
State California
Region Mono and Tuolumne County
City Mono City
Physical characteristics
Main source Lake Cascade
Sierra Nevada
10,400 ft (3,200 m)
37°59′06″N 119°18′29″W / 37.9849°N 119.3081°W / 37.9849; -119.3081
River mouth Mono Lake
Mono City, California
6,378 ft (1,944 m)
38°00′58″N 119°07′42″W / 38.01611°N 119.12833°W / 38.01611; -119.12833
Length 14.5 mi (23.3 km)
Basin features
Basin size 24.7 sq mi (64 km2)
Tributaries

Mill Creek is a 14.5-mile-long (23.3 km) perennial stream that flows east from the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range into Mono Lake, in Mono County, California. It courses through Lundy Canyon and Lundy Lake, before passing through Mono City, California on its way to Mono Lake.

Watershed

Approximately 81 percent of the annual runoff of Mill Creek in the Mono Basin has been attributed to snowmelt, occurring from April through September, and the remaining 19 percent of the annual streamflow occurs as base flow from October through March.

History

William O. Lundy obtained a timber patent here in 1880. The settlement near the May lundy Mine was first known as Mill Creek. diverted to generate hydroelectric power in the early years of the 20th century. In 1911, the Lundy Project was completed and the dam raised the natural outlet of Lundy Lake 37 feet to an elevation of 7,803 feet so that hydroelectric power could be generated by the Southern Sierra Power Company.

Ecology

It is controversial whether North American beaver (Castor canadensis) were native to Mill Creek and the Mono Basin. Beaver were introduced, or re-introduced, along Mill Creek in the Mono Basin by the California Department of Fish and Game in the 1950s. The population thrives above Lundy Reservoir for nearly the entire length of upper Lundy Canyon and in recent years has been spreading to nearby creeks, including Wilson Creek, DeChambeau Creek, and Lee Vining Creek.

Hiking

The Lundy Canyon trail leads past several cascading waterfalls to Lake Helen, then becomes more moderate in the "20 Lakes Basin". Trails circle toward Saddlebag lake and to the foot of North Peak and Mount Conness on the Yosemite National Park boundary.

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