San Felipe Lake
| San Felipe Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | 6 miles (9.7 km) east-southeast of Gilroy in San Benito County, California |
| Coordinates | 36°58′49″N 121°27′44″W / 36.9803913°N 121.4622846°W |
| Type | Tectonic lake |
| Primary inflows | Pacheco Creek |
| Max. length | 0.6 miles (0.97 km) |
| Max. width | 0.3 miles (0.48 km) |
| Max. depth | 18 feet (5.5 m) |
| Surface elevation | 144 feet (44 m) |
San Felipe Lake is a perennial natural lake located in the southern Santa Clara Valley, almost wholly in northern San Benito County with its western edge on the border with Santa Clara County, California. The lake is a critical wetland, rare plant, and wildlife resource in need of additional conservation and enhancement.
San Felipe Lake is the terminus of Pacheco Creek, which drains the western slope of California's Diablo Range. Its outflows once formed the beginning of the Pajaro River through a series of meandering sloughs and wetlands, but now flow through the Miller Canal, constructed in 1874, to the upper reaches of the river. The Pajaro River, in turn, conveys its waters ultimately to Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean.