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Lake Elsman is a 6,200-acre-foot (7,600,000 m3)[2] reservoir, created by an earthen dam called Austrian Dam[5] on Los Gatos Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.[1] At several points it is over 140' deep[6] and its normal surface area is 96 acres.[1] It provides 12% of San Jose Water Works’ total water capacity in some years.[6] The lake and dam is owned by the San Jose Water Company,[6]
| Lake Elsman | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Lake Elsman  Lake Elsman | |
| Location | Santa Clara County, California[2] |
| Coordinates | 37°7′48″N 121°55′51″W |
| Type | Earth[2] |
| Primary outflows | Los Gatos Creek[2] |
| Catchment area | 9.8 square miles (25 km2)[2] |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Managing agency | San Jose Water Agency[2] |
| Built | 1950[2] |
| Surface area | 96 acres (39 ha)[2] |
| Surface elevation | 1,119 feet (341 m)[3][4] |
In 1988 and 1989, two earthquakes at M=5.3 and 5.4 respectively occurred at Lake Elsman that transferred stress that led to the 1989 M=6.9 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.[7]
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Construction of the Austrian Dam was completed in 1950.[1] Beneath the reservoir are the remains of the settlements of Austrian Gulch and Germantown.[8] The dam is more than 900 feet (270 m) long and 180 feet (55 m) high.[6] The dam was damaged in the Loma Prieta quake.[9] The performance of Austrian Dam during that earthquake reinforces concerns about damage to the tops of earth dams by earthquakes.[9]
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