Pine Lake, previously known as Laguna Puerca or Pig Lake, is a freshwater lake in Pine Lake Park on the
West Side
West Side or Westside may refer to:
Places Canada
* West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario
* West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Westside, Birmingham ...
of
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. The lake is fed from the same
aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...
as nearby
Lake Merced
Lake Merced () is a freshwater lake located on the West Side of San Francisco, in the southwest corner of the city. It is surrounded by three golf courses (the private Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, and the public TPC Harding Park), as ...
.
History
The surrounding area and lake, then known as Laguna Puerca or Pig Lake, were purchased by the Greene family following their move from Maine to San Francisco in 1847.
The lake was purchased by the City of San Francisco in the five years following the nearby
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, locally called Stern Grove, is a recreational site located on the West Side of the city in the Parkside District. It is administered by the city's Recreation and Parks Department and is the concert setting for t ...
.
Ecology
The lake is fed by an underground spring, which also feeds nearby
Lake Merced
Lake Merced () is a freshwater lake located on the West Side of San Francisco, in the southwest corner of the city. It is surrounded by three golf courses (the private Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, and the public TPC Harding Park), as ...
.
It is surrounded by
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Most species are known ...
s,
tules, and
aquatic plant
Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and Non-vascular plant, non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic ecosystem, aquatic environments (marine ecosystem, saltwater or freshwater ecosystem, freshwater ...
s.
Migratory birds along the
Pacific Flyway
The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading ...
stop to feed, rest, or inhabit the surrounding area.
The only natural freshwater lakes in San Francisco are Pine Lake,
Lake Merced
Lake Merced () is a freshwater lake located on the West Side of San Francisco, in the southwest corner of the city. It is surrounded by three golf courses (the private Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, and the public TPC Harding Park), as ...
, and
Mountain Lake.
See also
*
List of lakes in California
There are more than 3,000 named lakes, reservoirs, and dry lakes in the U.S. state of California.
Largest lakes
In terms of area covered, the largest lake in California is the Salton Sea, a lake formed in 1905 which is now saline. It occup ...
*
List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area
This list of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area groups lakes, ponds, and reservoirs by county. Numbers in parentheses are Geographic Names Information System feature ids.
Alameda County, California, Alameda County
* Almond Reservoir ()
* Berr ...
References
External links
Official website of Pine Lake Park
{{authority control
Lakes of the San Francisco Bay Area
Landmarks in San Francisco
Lakes of California
Lakes of San Francisco
Lakes of Northern California