Effects of the 1906 Earthquake on the Bald Hill Outlet System, San Mateo County, California

Abstract

Following the earthquake of April 18, 1906, it was discovered that a brick forebay and other parts of the reservoir outlet system were in the slip zone of the San Andreas fault. The original outlet through which water was directed to San Francisco consisted of two tunnels joined at the brick forebay; one tunnel extends 2,820 ft to the east under Bald Hill on Buri Buri Ridge, and the other tunnel intersects the lake bottom about 250 ft west of the forebay. In 1897 a second intake was added to the system, also joining the original forebay. During the present study the accessible parts of this original outlet system were examined with the hope of learning how the system had been affected by fault slip in 1906.