| Lichau Creek | |
| Pushpin Map: | USA California |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of Lichau Creek in California |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | California |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Sonoma County |
| Subdivision Type5: | City |
| Subdivision Name5: | Penngrove, California |
| Length: | 8.9miles |
| Source1: | Sonoma Mountain |
| Source1 Location: | 70NaN0 north of Petaluma, California |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 38.3297°N -122.5939°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1725feet |
| Mouth: | Petaluma River |
| Mouth Location: | 4miles northwest of Petaluma, California |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 38.2742°N -122.6775°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 30feet |
| Tributaries Left: | Willow Brook |
Lichau Creek is an 8.9adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] southwest-flowing stream in Sonoma County, California, United States, which flows through the town of Penngrove and discharges into the Petaluma River.
The original name of the creek is O'Hara Creek and is named after the settler, John O'Hara, who purchased and owned the land through which the creek flows. O'Hara was born in 1833 in County Sligo, Ireland and settled in Penngrove sometime between 1852 and 1857 and died in 1911 at the age of 78 years. The October 26, 1904, Santa Rosa Republican refers to this creek as O'Hara Creek.[2]
The creek springs from the western side of Sonoma Mountain between Copeland Creek and Lynch Creek. Descending initially to the west, it crosses under Sonoma Mountain Road and passes north of Stony Butte. After crossing East Railroad Avenue and Petaluma Hill Road, it flows under the Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks. It immediately bends southward and parallels the tracks through Penngrove, crossing Adobe Road and Main Street.
On the northern outskirts of Petaluma, it crosses Ely Road and turns southwestward, crossing Old Redwood Highway, the North McDowell Boulevard Extension, U.S. 101, and Stony Point Road to reach the Petaluma River.
A 1968 survey of Lichau Creek[3] found algae, duckweed, cattails, dragonflies, dipterous insects, caddisflies, frogs, steelhead trout, and sticklebacks living in the creek.
At least three bridges span the creek:[4]