Valley Water says Chesbro Dam and Reservoir sit on Llagas Creek three miles west of Morgan Hill. Wikipedia places the reservoir in the valley west of El Toro, the peak that rises over downtown Morgan Hill.
Named for a local doctor
The dam and reservoir were built in 1955. Valley Water says they are named for Elmer J. Chesbro, who was president of the South Santa Clara Valley Water Conservation District when they were built. Wikipedia adds that Chesbro was a local doctor.
Valley Water lists the reservoir's storage at 7,945 acre-feet and its surface area at 283 acres. Like the district's other reservoirs, it was built for water conservation, catching storm runoff that would otherwise flow to San Francisco Bay. The district posts inundation maps for a hypothetical failure of Chesbro Dam on its reservoir page.
Visiting
Wikipedia says a 232-acre Santa Clara County park surrounds the reservoir. It offers catch-and-release fishing, picnicking and hiking. Swimming and boating are not allowed.
Chesbro is one of several Valley Water reservoirs around Morgan Hill. Another is Anderson Reservoir on the other side of town, where Valley Water plans to start rebuilding the dam in January 2027.