Celebrating Spring Lake Regional Park's Golden Anniversary
In 2023, Sonoma County Regional Parks, the nonprofit Sonoma County Parks Foundation and Sonoma Water are celebrating Spring Lake Regional Park’s 50th anniversary. The year-long anniversary celebration will include improvements to the park, a variety of public and volunteer events, self-guided activities, and a fundraising campaign. Regional Parks kicks off the anniversary year May 6-7 - learn more on their website.
The Parks Foundation is launching the Spring Lake 50th Anniversary fundraising campaign to support the following needs:
The Parks Foundation is launching the Spring Lake 50th Anniversary fundraising campaign to support the following needs:
- Constructing a new floating dock with accessible kayak launch at Spring Lake
- Enhancing the park’s Environmental Discovery Center
- Providing support for children with limited resources to enjoy summer camps, teen programs and other activities for youth.
We are grateful to the Codding Foundation, SOMO Village and the Codding family for offering a challenge grant to help meet these campaign goals. Donations to the Spring Lake Park 50th Anniversary Campaign will be matched one-to-one for the first $20,000 donated.
Make a donation today!
Commemorative Bandana
Your gift with a $50 donation |
Commemorative Pendant
Your gift with $500 donation |
Plaque and Picnic Table Sponsorship
with $3,000 donation |
Win prizes in our Photo Contest and Scavenger Hunt!
The Parks Foundation also is planning some fun activities that you can explore independently to celebrate Spring Lake’s 50th Anniversary. Click below to learn more:
We look forward to celebrating this important park milestone with you!
- “How well do YOU know Spring Lake Regional Park?” – a family-friendly scavenger hunt
- Spring Lake 50th Anniversary Photo Contest – Take photos of your favorite park! Win prizes!
We look forward to celebrating this important park milestone with you!
Thank you Spring Lake 50th Anniversary Donors!
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History of Spring LakeSpring Lake was originally constructed by Sonoma Water from 1961 to 1964 as a flood protection reservoir. The lake consists of three steel and concrete dams, spillways, channels and flow regulators to protect Santa Rosa from flooding.
The lake is designed to accommodate water equal to a 100-year flood, meaning a storm that has a one in 100 chance of occurring on any given year. Only once, in 1986, has flooding been so severe that it exceeded Spring Lake’s capacity 
This aerial view shows the Spring Lake reservoir shortly after its creation in 1963. (Don Meacham Photography Collection 1930-1985, Sonoma County Library Photograph Collection)
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In 1973, the young Sonoma County Regional Parks Department (established in 1967) added Spring Lake as one of its first county parks.
Originally, the City of Santa Rosa intended to build an extension of Highway 12 that would involve a bridge over the park, connecting Highway 101 to the Sonoma Valley. Over the years, as visitation to the popular park reached hundreds of thousands of guests annually, this proposal met with stiff opposition.
By the early 2000s, the City gave up on this proposal. To celebrate, community members who had fought the highway extension installed a bench at Spring Lake Park in the exact location where the highway extension had been proposed.
Originally, the City of Santa Rosa intended to build an extension of Highway 12 that would involve a bridge over the park, connecting Highway 101 to the Sonoma Valley. Over the years, as visitation to the popular park reached hundreds of thousands of guests annually, this proposal met with stiff opposition.
By the early 2000s, the City gave up on this proposal. To celebrate, community members who had fought the highway extension installed a bench at Spring Lake Park in the exact location where the highway extension had been proposed.
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To learn more about this achievement, please read more about the history here.
