http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/wrca_restoration/rss Recent eScholarship items from Restoration of Rivers and Streams (LA 227) Fri, 15 May 2026 17:02:35 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3fw2z0sf Piloting A Monitoring Program For CCC LWD Projects https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3fw2z0sf Mon, 21 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Atherton, Shanna Zhu, Bingyao https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6439d8ff Aquatic ecosystems in the Upper Klamath Basin (Upper Basin), Oregon are degraded as a result of more than a century of land use alterations due to logging, dams, irrigated agriculture, and cattle grazing. These changes have led to degraded habitat conditions including decreased baseflow, loss of vegetation, increased stream temperature, fish impediments, and nutrient loading. All these factors negatively impact watershed function and resident fish populations, which have experienced severe declines in recent decades. The primary threats to fish populations include habitat loss, degraded water quality, barriers and entrainment, and predation and competition from non-native species. Millions of dollars have been spent since the late-1900’s to restore aquatic habitat in the Upper Basin primarily to improve the distribution and abundance of endangered and threatened fish species. This project details the hydrologic characteristics of three primary tributaries in the Upper Klamath... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6439d8ff Tue, 17 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Doehring, Carolyn https://escholarship.org/uc/item/03m308k9 Multifunctional Riverscapes: Stream restoration, Capability Brown’s water features, and artificial whitewater https://escholarship.org/uc/item/03m308k9 Tue, 17 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Podolak, Kristen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2st014m2 Biological and Physical Assessment of Streams in Northern California: Evaluating the Effects of Global Change and Human Disturbance https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2st014m2 Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Lawrence, Justin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4r6894pk Understanding wood-pool dynamics using long-term monitoring data from the Gualala River Watershed: What can we learn? https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4r6894pk Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Church, Tamara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29h3t2kw Restoring Regulation: An Assessment of the Regulatory Process for Restoration Projects https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29h3t2kw Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Fiala, Shannon https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9t57w5h1 A Conceptual Restoration Plan and Tidal Hydrology Assessment for Reconnecting Spring Branch Creek to Suisun Marsh, Solano County, California https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9t57w5h1 Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Olson, Jessica J. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k8243b4 Multifunctional Riverscapes: Stream restoration, Capability Brown's water features, and artificial whitewater https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k8243b4 Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Podolak, Kristen Nichole https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9rh2f4zr In Fall 2010, a partnership between the University of California-Berkeley and the cities of Albany and Berkeley completed the third of four restoration phases planned for a 0.6-mile stretch of Codornices Creek in Alameda County, California, between the San Pablo Avenue and UPRR crossings. Originally initiated in the mid-1990s to improve a straightened and channelized ditch, the project objectives were to convey the 100-year flood, improve user access to the creek, and establish an ecologically valuable riparian corridor dominated by native species (reducing invasive non-natives).  We assessed the performance of the third phase of the project during a high flow of 136 cfs on October 5, 2011. We obtained relevant data and information from project designers, and on October 22, 2011, while evidence of the high flow was still fresh, we conducted a detailed topographic survey of the channel, surveyed high water marks, documented conditions with photographs, and mapped site conditions.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9rh2f4zr Thu, 4 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Docto, Mia Hoffman, Johanna Walls, Scott https://escholarship.org/uc/item/91g62798 Livestock grazing in the western United States has lead to riparian ecosystem and stream channel degradation. Establishing fenced-off exclosures is a common management strategy that aims to passively restore these areas, however, relatively few studies have assessed the evolution of exclosed reaches over time. We evaluated temporal trends in channel form and riparian vegetation along a 4.2 km reach of Long Creek (drainage area of 180 km2), a tributary to Sycan Marsh in western Lake County, Oregon. The Nature Conservancy implemented reduced livestock grazing along this reach in 1996 and complete exclosure in 1999. Based on previous studies that documented vegetation establishment and subsequent sediment accumulation on channel banks, we hypothesized that the channel would have narrowed and vegetation would have re-established after eleven years of cattle exclosure.   In October 2011, we surveyed seven previously-established cross sections and compared channel geometry in 2011 to... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/91g62798 Thu, 4 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Doehring, Carolyn Rubin, Zan Sahai, Rashmi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6681m38q <p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Spring Branch Creek drains a 2,670-acre watershed into tidally influencedSuisun Marsh in Suisun City, Solano County, CA. A farm levee road and berm that were constructed in the 1930s to drain the site for agriculture created an abrupt transition between fluvialand tidal systems. In the 1990s, the landowner Solano Land Trust installed two four-foot culverts beneath the levee road in attempt to partially restore the exchange of brackish tidal water with fresh water. Ten years later (in 2000), a population of federally listed plant soft bird’s beak (Chloropyron molle ssp. molle, syn., Cordylanthus mollis ssp. mollis) was reintroduced in the high marsh zone under these altered hydro-logical conditions and is now a thriving population of 100,000 individuals. Now, a proposal to remove the levee completely, and reconnect fluvialand tidal systems, raised concern that the livelihood of this population might be compromised by altering the hydrological conditions. I conducted... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6681m38q Thu, 4 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Olson, Jessica J. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5dc5g3cj <p>The simultaneous withdrawal of water from streams for springtime frost protection of grapevines in the Russian River basin can coincide with the emergence of salmonid fry and the rearing of juveniles. These water diversions have contributed to water level declines, which in some instances, have resulted in the stranding mortality of fish. Endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout can become stranded when water levels decrease abruptly and fish seek refuge in the rapidly dewatering gravel.</p><p>In response to this issue, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has proposed a site-specific method to determine minimum flows to protect salmonids from these effects. This method seeks to identify “high risk” stranding surfaces and determine the stream stage at which they become exposed. In this study, we evaluated the ability of the NMFS protocol to accurately prescribe protective stages. To do this, we analyzed three components of the protocol: its stranding risk... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5dc5g3cj Thu, 4 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Hines, David Kohlsmith, Emma Kayed, Sammy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3x08s6th In  California’s  Central  Valley,  dams  block  95  percent  of  historic  salmonid  habitat.    To  restore access by spring-run chinook salmon (Onocorhynchus tshawytscha) and other anadromous fish to approximately 12 miles of upstream spawning habitat on Clear Creek (drainage areas 720 km 2 ), the  US  Bureau  of  Reclamation  removed  the  McCormick-Saeltzer  Dam  in  November  2000.Previous  studies—the  most  recent  in  2004—identified  significant  sediment  mobilization  since dam removal at, and above, the former dam site.  In October 2011, we resurveyed two previously established  cross  sections at 26  m and 103.3  m upstream  of  the  dam  site  and  conducted  a  long profile  of  the  thalweg  from  the  dam  site  to  175  m  upstream.   We  also  replicated  previous  site photographs,  drew  vegetation  maps  and  compared  2010  aerial  photographs  to  those  from  1998 and  2004  to  assess  vegetation  change  and  erosion  patterns.   Our  results  documented... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3x08s6th Thu, 4 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Simons, Crystal Walker, Katelyn Zimring, Mark https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2fz9q17x <p>ABSTRACT</p><p>A 700-foot-long daylighted reach of Cerrito Creek defines the southern border of the 29-acre El Cerrito Plaza shopping center and receives a majority of the Plaza’s stormwater runoff. In 2003, this reach, between Talbot and Kains Avenues, underwent a restoration project that widened, re-graded and re-vegetated the channel as well as added a gravel pedestrian path parallel to the stream. The project was completed while the shopping center and parking lot underwent a major renovation. In this study, we assessed current creek conditions and compared them to the original project design as well as a 2005 post-project assessment. We found that there may have been minor channel incision since 2005, but this evidence was unreliable due to the cross section locations having not been permanently monumented. An increase in the number  of gravel bars, and an increase in the diversity of sediment size indicated that the stream was transporting sediment. Native vegetation... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2fz9q17x Thu, 4 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Adlong, Michelle Cook, Michael Kennedy, Matthew https://escholarship.org/uc/item/18x9j5dc Our study attempts to assess how different methods of engaging student volunteers on Berkeley’s campus impact student’s enthusiasm for stewardship, such as their willingness to participate in future on or off-campus restoration projects.  Using a questionnaire and targeting four different undergraduate student groups, including students who lived adjacent to Strawberry Creek, we attempted to gauge their current involvement and future involvement in stream restoration activities.  We found that academic work is the strongest method of engaging student volunteers and that some form of spontaneous use is the best indicator of each student’s enthusiasm for future stewardship. In summary, student stewards can provide the link between academic solutions and collaborative engagement with urban creeks. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/18x9j5dc Thu, 4 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Javier, Alexander Jones, Darryl Tannenbaum, Sara Rose https://escholarship.org/uc/item/063566w8 <p>Abstract</p><p>Putah Creek (drainage area = 2,000 km2) drains the slopes of Cobb Mountain in Lake County, flowing 137 km southeastward into the Yolo Bypass near Davis, California. Lower Putah Creek, the 37km reach from the Solano Diversion Dam to the Yolo Bypass, is confined within a flood control channel.  Dry Creek (drainage area = 44km2) joins Putah Creek near Winters, California.  Putah Creek is regulated by water releases from Monticello Dam at Lake Berryessa.  Dry Creek flows only part of the year and has no dams. Southward channel migration of Putah Creek from the 1990’s was threatening Putah Creek Rd., a paved county road following the south bank of the evaluated stream-section.  The new location of the Putah Creek channel also reduced the amount of gravels entering Putah Creek from Dry Creek.  This was significant because dams reduced the amount of course sediment available from upstream, leaving Dry Creek as one of the only natural sources of the gravels important... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/063566w8 Thu, 4 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Blackledge, Gina Boisrame, Gabrielle https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95z210sg <p>Horseshoe Creek, located in the Oakland Hills of California, flows through a remnant oak and redwood forests in Horseshoe Canyon. From the 1880s through the 1930s, nearby Leona sulfur mine deposited massive tailings piles in the valleys east of Horseshoe Creek. During that time, clear-cut logging of redwoods denuded and destabilized the surrounding hillsides. Today, most of Horseshoe Creekʼs upper and middle reaches are either culverted or transformed into an engineered channel, and Merritt College sits on top of the filled valleys that once formed its headwaters. Drawing from Past studies that have assessed heavy metals distribution and transport, we investigate the restoration potential of this highly impacted urban stream. In doing so, we consider the causes and effects of ecological degradation, identify areas for future study, and propose restoration actions.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95z210sg Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Hackenjos, Bethany Woelfle-Erskine, Cleo Wood, Jacob https://escholarship.org/uc/item/919853tw <p>The Nathanson Creek Parkway and Preserve project spans a 1,000 foot reach of Nathanson Creek, a tributary to Sonoma Creek next to the Sonoma Valley High School grounds (see Appendix A Figures 1-6). The Sonoma Ecology Center (SEC) entered a contract with the city of Sonoma after the creek flooded in 2006 and installed plants between November 2009 and May 2010. The purpose of this project is to analyze plant survivorship data after 1-year of growth and to establish baseline data on the channel morphology for future restoration monitoring. We recorded total plant survivorship, created 5 cross-sectional transects (one every 200ft.), and recorded the plants growing along each transect. We also documented incidents of vandalism and overall site conditions.</p><p>After one year, the restoration site showed 63.6% survivorship among the flora that were planted plus broadcast seeding of the native grass Blue wildrye (elymus glaucus). This survival rate does not meet the 80% standard... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/919853tw Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Blough, Alanna Brandt, Reuben Brady, Sarah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5jh1g865 <p>An upstream reach of Cerrito Creek, in Contra Costa County, California runs through Blake Garden, a 10.5-acre demonstration garden owned by the University of California, Berkeley (Fig 1 &amp; 2). Th is study focuses on a 420- foot reach near the top of the garden that has a severely incised and undercut channel, undersized and deteriorating culverts, and failed bank armoring. In the spring of 2010 for LA222: Hydrology for Planners, the authors of this paper analyzed the hydrology of the watershed above the reach, in order to understand the fl ows that are likely causing incision, conducted extensive fi eld surveys, and modeled fl ow in the creek. Continuing with last semester’s work, we conducted a detailed facies map, and identifi ed constraints and opportunities along the stream channel. Permanent monuments were placed on the site, and accurate mapping of the reach and cross-sections was generated. Based on our cumulative understanding of the site, we propose a stream design... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5jh1g865 Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Greenberg, Karuna Pinto, Pedro Sherraden, Catherine https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4wr2n51h <p>Located within an 8.9-­‐square mile watershed in Marin County, California, Redwood Creek flows from the peaks of Mt. Tamalpais to Muir Beach, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. The watershed supports the southernmost population of federally listed Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), as well as Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), a federally endangered species in California. A 2003 restoration project at the Banducci Site, a former agricultural area created in the channel's natural floodplain, sought to restore juvenile salmonid rearing habitat and re-­‐establish floodplain connectivity. Restoration activities included a series of Eucalyptus large woody debris structures, excavation of a pre-­‐existing artificial levee, and revegetation of native plant species along the riparian corridor. Seven years after implementation, our study characterizes the creeks geomorphic conditions through photodocumentation, historic aerial imagery, facies mapping, and longitudinal profile... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4wr2n51h Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Crockett, Richard Cundy, Fiona Hanley, Colin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41590906 <p>In fall 2009, the UC Botanical Gardens completed a restoration project on Winter Creek, a tributary to Strawberry Creek. The creek is located in the Redwood Grove on the north side of Centennial Drive, opposite the main gardens. The project was completed in response to severe erosion caused by a pipe culvert that carried runoff from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) and other development in Strawberry Canyon. For this term project we conducted a post-project appraisal of the Winter Creek restoration to determine whether the restoration achieved its objectives. We obtained relevant project information from the project proponents via interviews and email communication. On three days in October and November 2010, we conducted cross sections, longitudinal profiles, and vegetation surveys. In order to learn more about the Winter Creek watershed upstream of our project site, we conducted a hydrological analysis. Although we only received draft pre-project data, our results show... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41590906 Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Fiala, Shannon Janes, Kelly Sousa, Ricardo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1df8w88m <p>The restoration of a one-mile stretch of the lower Wooden Valley Creek on the cattle ranch owned by the McQueeny family in Napa County, California addressed denuded stream banks lacking native riparian vegetation and canopy cover that have resulted in salmonid habitat degradation and species decline (Marcus and CSPA, 2004). A primary concern of the McQueeny restoration demonstration project is the impact of high summertime stream temperatures on steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and the threat of continued bank incision in close proximity to the McQueeny home (Marcus and CSPA, 2004; Marcus, October 18, 2010; McQueeny, November 2, 2010 and November 20, 2010). Existing studies of the McQueeny property, Wooden Valley Creek, and larger Suisun Creek watershed restoration describe restoration baselines, restoration processes, and intended goals and outcomes (Circuit Rider Productions, 2007; Jackson, 2007; Purcell and Cover, 2007; Marcus and CSPA, 2004). Our research aims to... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1df8w88m Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Levy, Morgan Post, Charles https://escholarship.org/uc/item/04k4410p <p>The focus of this proposal is to examine relevant creek restoration research and existing restoration projects and to apply the resulting knowledge to the specific conditions at Blake Garden to develop a conceptual model for the restoration of this section of Cerrito Creek. This proposal builds on goals and data that were compiled as part of a prior student restoration proposal. A literature review, case studies, interviews and a site survey provide data about the restoration of similar creeks, future visions for Cerrito Creek and existing creek conditions. Based on the compiled data, a system of step pools is recommended to restore channel stability in this reach of the creek. Channel geometry is based on a restoration model with similar characteristics, Baxter Creek in Pointsett Park. Step pool geometry is determined using a ratio between step height, length and channel slope. Channel visibility and physical access are revealed as important aesthetic concerns. Recommendations... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/04k4410p Thu, 5 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Behrends, Nathaniel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3c76c585 <p>Tassajara Creek is located in Dublin, California, and drains an area of 23.2 square miles. Alameda County restored a one mile reach of the river in 1999 and 2000 to stop the channel incision and reestablish the riparian vegetation and habitat. Subsequent monitoring by University of California, Berkeley, students determined that the restoration efforts successfully halted the channel incision. This paper establishes the progress of the riparian habitat restoration through plant transects and photomonitoring. The plant transects and photomonitoring are based on the monitoring surveys established in 2000 and 2001 by Davis Environmental Consulting. We concluded that plant diversity and plant growth increased since 2001. Six new species were observed in the plant transects, and plants in 2008 were 1.5 to 8 times their original height in 2000. We also observed a reduced total number of plants Reach 1, when compared with 2000, which may be due to the death of weak plants over the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3c76c585 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Trinh, Michelle Percelay, Julie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7t25g32p <p>Wildfire in steep, chaparral watersheds increases runoff and erosion, which increases sediment transport from the hillslopes to the channel network. This process may cause a flux of fine sediment into streams, burying riffles and pools, or might cause a debris flow borne flux of large boulders and woody debris, eventually creating new complex fish habitat. The Basin Complex and Indians Fire of June - July, 2008 burned almost the entire upper Carmel River watershed (116 km2) in the Los Padres National Forest, Monterey County, California. I made field observations of dry ravel in a steep, narrow tributary and conducted channel surveys and grain size analysis in riffles and pools at two study reaches along the mainstem upper Carmel River. This baseline geomorphic analysis will allow me to monitor the changes in threatened steelhead and resident trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) spawning and rearing habitat this winter and compare these changes with those observed along the same study... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7t25g32p Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Richmond, Sarah F https://escholarship.org/uc/item/61b080n8 <p>In mountainous terrain, road-crossings may impair creeks by impeding fish passage, increasing sediment delivery to stream channels, and altering surface and subsurface flow paths. The objectives of this study were to quantify the short-term impacts of 6 road-crossing reconstruction projects on alluvial creeks in the Klamath National Forest of California. I used a Before-After-Control-Impact study design with 1 set of data pre-construction, 1 set of data immediately following construction, and 2 sets of data over the following 2 yr. The data included measures of fine-sediment deposition, grain-size, longitudinal-profiles, cross-sections, and benthic macroinvertebrates. This study found little impact on fine-sediment deposition or grainsize. The majority of longitudinal-profiles and cross-sections tended to incise upstream in response to culvert replacement, but the responses were largely site-specific. Furthermore, most morphological changes in slope and bed elevation were minimal.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/61b080n8 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Lawrence, Justin E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5z39x8jb <p>San Gregorio Creek drains approximately 51 square miles, debouching into the Pacific Ocean approximately 40 miles south of San Francisco. The San Gregorio watershed historically supported populations of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and coho salmon (O. kisutch). These federally listed species are still present in the watershed, however; their habitat has been significantly altered due to a variety of land-uses, such as logging, grazing, and residential development. Although a variety of factors have contributed to the overall degradation of salmonid habitat in the San Gregorio watershed, the Highway 84 transportation corridor arguably has had the greatest direct impact over the past sixty years due to its location immediately adjacent to, and often crossing, the watershed’s main stem.</p><p>Both regulatory agencies and local stakeholders have expressed interest in restoring habitat for salmon within the San Gregorio watershed. Understanding the overall quality and quantity... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5z39x8jb Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Alford, Chris https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37t7f5hb <p>With the populations of anadromous salmonids in steep decline throughout California, many river restoration projects attempt to bring fish back to tributaries by enabling fish passage and creating spawning habitat. Carneros Creek, a tributary of the Napa River, is an incised and sinuous stream which poses a challenge for restoration planning land use management, as the watershed supports steelhead runs and valuable agricultural land. We documented the physical channel morphology of a 150 meter long reach in the Upper Carneros Creek using ground based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scans and assessed grain size using pebble counts in order to gain insight into restoration and management opportunities. These data provide a baseline geomorphic assessment for future restoration projects and allowed us to compare velocities predicted by 1-dimensional (1D) and 2-dimensional (2D) models. For the 1D model, we simulated flows by pulling out cross-sectional points from the LiDAR... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37t7f5hb Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Beagle, Julie Marzion, Rachael Matella, Mary https://escholarship.org/uc/item/31x0q95r <p>Many restoration projects have taken place on Codornices Creek. This paper briefly compares Codornices Creek to Alameda Creek, another creek found in the East Bay area, to demonstrate that Codornices Creek is very well funded, even though it is a considerably smaller and less important creek than Alameda Creek. It then chronologically documents the goals, funding, and monitoring status of the known projects that have taken place on Codornices Creek. Through this study, the author is able to show that the scope of restoration projects occurring in the Codornices watershed have changed over time and have become increasingly complex and comprehensive and also that as projects are completed successfully, greater funding and support will follow.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/31x0q95r Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Fullmer, Chris https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2864v3vr <p>The Chorro Flats Floodplain Reconnection project in Morro Bay, California is referred to as a successful restoration project because of the thorough planning process and consideration of geomorphic processes in the project design. The Chorro Flats project was part of a suite of projects in the Chorro Creek watershed intended to reduce the sediment load into Morro Bay, a highly productive estuary threatened by an increased rate of infill. In this paper, we present a post-project appraisal one decade after construction. We evaluate the project through several research questions that examine floodplain reconnection, sediment capture, geomorphic changes, and post-project monitoring. Due to a convergence of fortuitous factors and thorough planning, the project achieved sediment capture through floodplain reconnection. In addition, the project achieved its secondary goals to develop in-stream habitat and a healthy riparian zone. We found that monitoring efforts were difficult to... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2864v3vr Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 O'Reilly, Clare Pollak, Josh https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zr5b4tv <p>The effects of golf courses on water quality and biotic integrity have been of interest to researchers, managers, and companies (e.g. pesticide producers) since the 1980’s. In Milliken Creek, Napa, CA the impacts of golf courses on water quality are of special concern because of the creeks reputation of being one of the last few streams in Napa city to have a robust Steelhead population and it runs through a golf course. In this study I use benthic macroinvertebrates and the California Streamside Biosurvey to investigate potential effects of Silverado Country Club golf course on the health and integrity of Milliken Creek. I collected three benthic macroinvertebrate samples and conducted visual physical habitat surveys at four sites (n=12 total), upstream, downstream, and two within the course. I found no significant differences between the biotic index scores among the sites (p=0.29, d.f.=11, F=1.47) and slight differences in % EPT, taxa richness, and physical habitat.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zr5b4tv Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Fraiola, Kauaoa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rm646zk <p>The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SF PUC) is investigating the feasibility of daylighting historical urban creeks to mitigate flooding and combined sewer overflows in an attractive and multi-functional way in San Francisco. Yosemite Creek in southeastern San Francisco’s McLaren Park has been identified as a potentially feasible site in which to pilot a daylighting project, which could provide insight into other San Francisco projects and/or into a citywide daylighting policy. Drawing upon lessons learned from similar creek daylighting projects in similar cities elsewhere - as enumerated in Part I (Smith 2007) - Part II recommends a demonstration daylighting program in McLaren Park, sized to contain the 100 year storm. Clear goals and incorporation of monitoring and maintenance costs into the initial budget will be critical to the ability of the project to both inform future projects and adapt over time to meet goals over the long term.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rm646zk Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Smith, Brooke Ray https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6t0066h4 <p>An increasing number of stream restoration projects include structures such as vortex rock weirs to provide grade control. These structures are becoming a preferred option because they pair physical creek stability with the secondary benefit of habitat enhancement. Due to the monetary investment in these restoration strategies, it is essential to evaluate the contributions these structures make both in terms of stability and habitat. This study adopts existing methods for evaluating vortex rock weir stability and develops a new method for examining potential habitat based on the assumption that physical complexity may lead to suitable habitat. These methods for assessing weir stability, physical complexity, and potential habitat were successfully implemented at the Penitencia Creek and Wildcat Creek restoration sites in an attempt to correlate weir stability with physical complexity. Wildcat Creek's structures scored consistently lower than Penitencia Creeks' in the stability... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6t0066h4 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Corwin, Emily Jagt, Katie Neary, Leigh https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hn643hw <p>Understanding the specific conditions that influence successful riparian revegetation can assist projects in meeting their success criteria and ultimately improve habitat for fish and wildlife species. This paper examines a Napa County rangeland stream restoration project designed to enhance habitat for steelhead and other anadromous fish species, and compares the success of revegetation plantings and complementary instream improvements under various installation methods and locations. Though these results are likely site-specific, they provide a reference point to guide future riparian revegetation efforts in the project region.</p><p>Factors that appear to result in successful riparian restoration for this project include irrigation installation, placement of plantings in shaded areas or under existing riparian canopy, placement of plantings between the top of bank and toe of channel, exclusion of livestock grazing during establishment of plantings, installation of browse... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hn643hw Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Gaber, Christine O. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/69g0v4br <p>This investigation focuses on potential improvements to the Blake Garden section of Cerrito Creek for both ecological and social reasons. Cerrito Creek runs through an urbanized watershed from the East Bay Hills to San Francisco Bay. Garden staff recently cleared nonnative invasive Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor) from several sections of the streambank, leaving it barren. We identified bank erosion and incision resulting from recent clearing and upstream urbanization as two issues to be addressed. The garden staff identified creek visibility and accessibility as their main concerns. To assess existing creek conditions and restoration objectives we completed longitudinal and cross sectional surveys, measured discharge from an on-site spring, and conducted interviews. We calculated creek discharge using the rational method, measured the surface area of two rooftops to estimate stormwater runoff, and measured discharge from a natural spring in the garden. Based on our assessment,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/69g0v4br Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Ludy, Jessica Podolak, Kristen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m48c7x7 <p>The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is investigating the feasibility of daylighting historical urban creeks to mitigate flooding and combined sewer overflows in an attractive and multi-functional way in San Francisco. Examining the successes and shortcomings of existing creek daylighting projects in similar cities elsewhere in the world can provide valuable insight for potential future daylighting projects in San Francisco. The following daylighting projects share similar hydrologic, geographic, and/or urban characteristics with San Francisco: Berkeley, El Cerrito, and Albany, California; Seattle, Washington; and Zurich, Switzerland. In general, the projects in the United States were initiated by citizens, while in Zurich a city-wide daylighting program was the primary impetus. The projects reviewed tended to be located in the most economically, politically, or geographically feasible areas, representing “low-hanging fruit.” They were most often sized to accommodate... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m48c7x7 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Smith, Brooke Ray https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3q5236vt <p>Opportunities to design open space around urban creeks are uncommon due to the constraints of urban infrastructure. When space becomes available, new designs have the chance to treat the creek as an amenity for communities. One such opportunity is the new development possibility occasioned by removal of World War II-era housing along Codornices Creek, within the married student housing complex known as 'UC Village' in Albany, California. The site, along San Pablo Avenue adjacent to Codornices Creek, is owned by the University of California at Berkeley. The developer's design called for a Whole Foods Market and parking structure. It, however, suggested building a two-story garage up to the fence line and did not create a meaningful connection between the Whole Foods Market and Codornices Creek. If built, the community will lose a rare opportunity to have open space near the creek. Our re-design focuses on the creek and the possible experiences that revolve around it. By relocating... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3q5236vt Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Crampton, Matthew Martin, John https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ws5915v <p>Between 1960 and 1990, Tassajara Creek in Dublin, CA underwent incision due to anthropogenic sources. The downcutting of the channel bottom was problematic because the process built upon itself and caused disconnection between the channel and floodplain. The incision of Tassajara Creek created a flooding problem and motivated the search for solutions. The need for flood control increased as development increased around the creek. During the 1990s, plans were made to restore Tassajara Creek and provide flood control through the creation of a compound channel. In addition to drainage, the restoration plan’s secondary goals were to increase vegetation, riparian habitat, and public access. A one-mile reach of Tassajara Creek was reconstructed in 1999 and a series of post project appraisals have been conducted since with mixed results. We reviewed and summarized the results of the past studies. We continued the monitoring of the channel evolution by resurveying three of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ws5915v Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Butler, Nathaniel L. Nolan, Lindsey https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50g0x121 <p>Rock weirs and root revetments were the main structural components in two San Francisco Bay Area creek restoration projects completed in the 1990's: Uvas Creek in the South Bay and Wildcat Creek in the East Bay. David Rosgen assisted in the design of both restoration projects and the similarities between the two designs are striking considering the differences in size, sediment load, setting and general circumstances of the projects. The two projects have reacted differently in the time that has passed since project completion. In Uvas Creek, which is alluvial in nature and confined in a wide valley, all of the weirs have been buried washed-out, or abandoned by the channel. Topographic surveys of Uvas Creek revealed that the Creek has aggraded across its floodplain, depositing approximately two to three feet in some locations. In Wildcat Creek, which is constrained in a narrow valley, 70 percent of the weirs persist and have created a forced-pool morphology. While rock weirs... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50g0x121 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Ball, Dave Maendly, Romain Poindexter, Cristina https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zz121tn <p>We conducted post project appraisals for two vernal pool restoration projects in Solano County within the Elsie Gridley Mitigation Bank and the Montezuma Wetlands. We collected and analyzed field data, including surveyed cross sections, soils information and general observations. We also analyzed existing hydrologic, soil, floral and faunal monitoring data provided by project managers and local monitoring stations. The two projects vary in terms of successes and challenges, which can be traced to specific design, implementation, and management techniques. Both projects are vernal pool construction projects and both use similar monitoring parameters including branchiopod, flora, water depth and water duration monitoring. The projects vary in timing, size, quantities of monitoring data, project goal and criteria clarity, design (pool density, soils and topography), and implementation methods (inoculation and planting/seeding). Data showed that pools between sites were gently... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zz121tn Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 Baraona, Maya Ippolito, Teresa Renz, Wendy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4313c9vm <p>Located in Dublin, California, Martin Canyon Creek is a small tributary draining 1.08 square miles in the Alameda Creek watershed. In 1999 a restoration project consisting of gradient control and bank stabilization structures was completed. We conducted a post-project appraisal of the Martin Canyon Creek Restoration Project, comparing current conditions with the project’s listed goals and as-built conditions. We surveyed a longitudinal profile and a selected cross section to compare current channel slopes and geometry with pre-project and as-built conditions. In addition, we took photos of grade control and bank stabilization structures at established photo monitoring points and compared them with as-built photos to qualitatively compare and evaluate performance of structural components of the project. Grade control structures appear to be stable and performing as designed, with significant local sedimentation upstream of most grade control structures. Grade Control Structure... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4313c9vm Wed, 9 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 Wagner, Wayne Roseman, Jesse https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95j1z0vv <p>This study describes a post-project evaluation of the Baxter Creek Gateway Restoration Project located in a small, urbanized section of creek in the City of El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California. The project was conducted to restore sinuosity, provide aquatic and riparian habitat, and enhance public access to a 700-foot section of channelized stream. Our assessment of this project’s performance (completed less than a year after the project was constructed) evaluated the restoration effort’s progress and provides a baseline for future assessments of the project as it matures. Assessment approaches and techniques included physical surveys of the creek’s longitudinal (long) profile and several cross sections, facies mapping of the creek’s bed structure, estimation of a sediment budget for the site’s drainage basin, observations of site users, interviews with community stakeholders, visual evaluation of vegetation success rates, and photo documentation of current site conditions.</p><p>Although... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95j1z0vv Tue, 8 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 Goodman, Judd Lunde, Kevin B Zaro, Theresa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/679901bn <p>In my initial inquiry into the environmental history of the Alemany Farmers’ Market in San Francisco, I learnt of a creek – Islais Creek, the largest watershed in the city.</p><p>I measured and analyzed an 1869 U.S. Coast Survey to establish a representative baseline for the historical character of Islais Creek. Historically water accumulated on the shallow soils of the San Bruno Mountains and flowed into Islais Creek I used additional maps and surveys from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to document the cultural settlement of the watershed and further discuss land use impacts on the creek. For the past one-hundred and fifty years urban expansion and development have severely altered the original character of the creek and disallowed natural fluvial dynamics to persist. Currently the creek serves as the infrastructural backbone to a combined sewer system located underground in concrete pipes and culverts.</p><p>In this repost I developed a restoration plan... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/679901bn Tue, 8 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 Griffith, Lucas A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bc1c1c1 <p>Sausal Creek originates in the Oakland Hills of California, runs through the city of Oakland, and terminates at the San Francisco Bay. The lower half of the riparian corridor is channelized or culverted and the upper half is natural and free flowing. Dimond Canyon Park is located in this transition area and the steep banks experience erosion and landsliding. The proximity of the corridor to development makes it a focus of attention. In the 1930’s, the Works Progress Administration installed extensive concrete and steel structures in the creek to control erosion and stabilize the banks. In 2001, the City of Oakland, the California Coastal Conservancy, and the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District sponsored the restoration of an 825-foot reach of the creek with the help of the Friends of Sausal Creek. The project’s stated objectives were to remove six in-stream structures, improve water quality, stabilize the channel and banks, control erosion, improve... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bc1c1c1 Wed, 5 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000 Eagon, Elizabeth Largent, Jonathan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9s42863g <p>In 2000, an 850-ft reach of Baxter Creek in Booker T. Anderson Jr. Park, Richmond, CA was regarded and the banks planted with riparian vegetation to improve water quality and wildlife habitat, and to provide an attractive amenity for the neighborhood and educational opportunity for nearby schools. Baseline studies of the restoration project were completed in 2000. In November 2005 we conducted a post-project appraisal, by surveying three cross sections and a long profile, mapping site characteristics, measuring water flow and temperature, and assessing growth of riparian vegetation by comparing current conditions with those documented on photographs taken pre-project and after construction. Our results showed that channel geometry has remained stable and riparian vegetation has increased. However, the channel has accumulated a great deal of trash, including shopping carts, mattresses, plastic bottles, and oil residues on the water surface. Improvement in certain wildlife... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9s42863g Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000 Bronner, Colleen McKeon, Maggie Weston, Janel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ht9p91z <p>This paper presents a Post Project Appraisal (PPA) of the Cerrito Creek Restoration Project at El Cerrito Plaza in El Cerrito, CA. In 2003, a three-block day-lighted section of Cerrito Creek (approximately 700 feet in length) located between Talbot and Kains Streets was restored. This stretch of creek is bordered on the north by the Plaza parking lot and on the south by residential units (mainly apartment buildings), which greatly limits the size on the project. Urbanization on both sides reduced the creek to nothing a narrow, deep ravine, but after the neighboring shopping center agreed to retract their parking lot by 20 ft, the City of El Cerrito was able to begin the restoration. Using the project design drawings, interviews with community members, and data collected during site visits we evaluated the project. Our team created a detailed reach map, took cross-sections at various points of interest throughout the channel and conducted a pebble count of the major gravel... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ht9p91z Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000 Berndt, Sarah Smith, Fran https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cq6127x <p>Our Post-Project Appraisal assesses the performance of the Arroyo Viejo Creek Improvement Project, located in Oakland, Alameda County, California. We evaluated the project based on seven goals identified by the lead design firm Wolfe Mason Associates in project planning documents, though most of the goals did not have identified targets and/or quantifiable metrics. Two clear goals evaluated in this Post-Project Appraisal were geomorphic streambank stability and riparian habitat enhancement through the replacement of non-native plant species with native species. To assess geomorphic stability, we surveyed the site and compared current conditions to designed and constructed conditions. Also, we conducted a vegetation survey to quantify the success of planted native vegetation. Three years after its completion, the Arroyo Viejo Creek Improvement Project has a mixed outcome. One of the key goals of the project was habitat enhancement; there seems to be an unstated assumption that... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cq6127x Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000 Cousins, Mary Storesund, Rune https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44q9n3wc <p>Village Creek, located in Albany, California, is the lower tributary of Marin Creek. In 1998, the University of California at Berkeley daylighted a 900-foot stretch of the Creek and restored it to an 1,125 feet long open channel flanked by 0.77 acres of riparian and aquatic habitat. The objective of the project was to increase aquatic habitat, provide conveyance for a 100-year flood, and recreate the natural stream dimensions for a bankfull channel, floodplain, and upper bank. This appraisal evaluates the current hydraulic and geomorphological conditions to determine the change from initial implementation and design. The study of the newly formed channel complexity showed changes in gravel and sand bars, as well as pools, riffles, and glides. A comparison between the current state of the creek and the intended design allowed the determination of extent to which the restoration meets the intended goals. Longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys along with channel mapping revealed... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44q9n3wc Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000 Asher, Melissa Atapattu, Kaumudi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2np88423 <p>Crocker Creek drains 3.3 mi2, flowing into the Russian River near Cloverdale, California. A 30-foot high dam built in the early 1900s had filled with sediment, and then experienced two structural failures in 1995 and 1997. In 2002, the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) undertook a restoration project; the main objectives of the project were to restore anadromous salmonid (specifically steelhead trout) passage and stabilize adjacent stream banks. Activities performed by the SCWA include: removal of remaining parts of dam; regrading of steep banks to shallower slopes; revegetation of riparian corridor; and placement of geotextiles, rip-rap, and log structures along areas of the stream bank.</p><p>In 2005, we conducted a post-project appraisal involving visual observations, vegetation measurements, channel surveys, and interviews with the project engineer; our objective was to determine whether the project goals were achieved. We determined a pre-project longitudinal profile... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2np88423 Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000 Downing-Kunz, Maureen Dudley, Colin Gilbreath, Alicia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0q3257n9 <p>Blackberry Creek drains a 0.3-square-mile watershed, flowing from the northeastern hills of Berkeley, California into the Marin Creek culvert and then to the San Francisco Bay. A 200-foot reach running under Thousand Oaks Elementary School was daylighted in 1995 by Wolfe Mason Associates in collaboration with the Urban Creeks Council. The goals were to provide an outdoor science lab for the school and an alternative to a culvert with a history of flooding.</p><p>Post-project appraisals conducted in 1996 and 2000 focused on geomorphic and biological aspects, and found sufficient flood control capacity and greater density of riparian vegetation than envisioned in project design. We conducted a PPA ten years after project completion, surveying the longitudinal profile and two cross sections of the creek. We also looked at historical rainfall data and identified a 10-year event in 2002. Comparing our data to previous PPAs, channel flood capacity and gradient appear stable... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0q3257n9 Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000 Gerson, Stephanie Karla Wardani, Jane Niazi, Shiva https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t5919qf <p>San Francisco’s Islais Creek (Figure 1) has been buried in culverts for more than 70 years. It currently conveys the combined sanitary and storm sewer that drains the Southeast corner of the city. This combined sewer overflows into San Francisco Bay several times a year, and into the city streets approximately once every five years. We propose separating the sewer and storm drains, and explore re-opening Islais Creek to carry stormwater runoff to the bay. We delineated the watershed and channel using Arc/Info and GIS. We chose study reaches at the outlets of three subwatersheds, representing different flow conditions, elevations, urban development constraints, and opportunities for restoration. These variations necessitate different channel forms for each reach; we present experimental designs as cross-sections and plan view reaches overlaid onto an aerial photo of the city. We discuss project viability and opportunities.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t5919qf Fri, 21 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Jencks, Rosey Leonardson, Rebecca https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89r7b10f <p>The Mt. Vision Fire of October 1995 burned almost 13,000 acres of wilderness in Point Reyes National Seashore, about 31 miles northwest of San Francisco, CA. The 3.2 sq. mile watershed of Muddy Hollow Creek was almost entirely burned by the fire. The isolated nature of the watershed provides an excellent location to study post-fire watershed response in Northern California.</p><p>For the two years following the fire, 1996 and 1997, Collins and Ketcham (2001) documented changes to Muddy Hollow Creek and the watershed. They observed the formation of an alluvial fan and braided channel form in the lower reach. They estimated the minimum average sediment load during these two years was 2,626 tons/sq mile/year. They noted that sediment deposition during the second year after the fire was 2.7 times higher than the previous year. This was due to bed erosion and incision of the middle reach due to large amounts of woody debris falling into the river. The middle reach became entrenched... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89r7b10f Fri, 21 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Skripnik, Steve Moshier, Emily https://escholarship.org/uc/item/701237mf <p>Post-project evaluation and monitoring of stream restoration projects are rarely conducted, and long-term evaluations are even less common but are needed in order to gage the success of a project and to determine the time scale of biological recovery in the system. This study is a 5-year comparison to an initial post-project assessment completed in 1999 that evaluated an urban stream restoration project in Poinsett Park (El Cerrito, California). The results of this study found that habitat quality differed spatially between reaches, but was temporally similar in 1999 and 2004 with slight improvements at the restored reach in 2004. The biological assessment in 2004 found no improvements in ecological condition of the biotic assemblage compared to 1999. This lack of improvement may be attributed to the detrimental and limiting effects of a highly urbanized watershed. It is also possible that the aquatic communities successfully colonized the restored reach within the 2 years... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/701237mf Fri, 21 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Purcell, Alison https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1611w85p <p>Adaptive management is a resource management approach that acknowledges our limited understanding of how natural systems respond to human alterations by treating policies and management interventions in natural systems as experiments from which to learn. In a relatively new field such as river restoration, adaptive management is especially appealing, as it allows managers to learn while acting and promises to reduce uncertainty. By interviewing practitioners and reviewing restoration and adaptive management plans, I assessed the application of adaptive management in ten river restoration projects on the west coast of North America. Although definitions and applications of adaptive management vary widely among practitioners, the projects considered here share three common elements: recognition of uncertainty in river restoration and management, a commitment to monitor, and willingness to adjust actions based on information learned about the system. Most interviewees noted that... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1611w85p Fri, 21 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Levine, Jessie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tv3d3m0 <p>San Pablo Creek drains 42 square miles, debouching into the San Pablo Bay in Richmond, California. In 1919, East Bay Municipal Utility District built a dam in the mid-watershed. The Dam rarely releases water, so the reach downstream (lower San Pablo Creek) has a distinct hydrology driven by runoff from the unregulated, lower, 11.2 square-mile drainage area. Perhaps because flooding is infrequent, and because land-use policies and management have not historically considered low-order channels and their riparian habitat, regulating agencies have spent little time collecting baseline information on the creek. This study seeks to gather such baseline information. The specific questions this study addresses are: 1) What are the key ecological and geomorphic transition zones along the Lower San Pablo Creek? 2) What are the geomorphic, hydrologic, and vegetation characteristics in each of these zones? and 3) What are the discharge estimates for cross-sections in each of these... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tv3d3m0 Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000 Anderson, Shannah Balazs, Carolina https://escholarship.org/uc/item/66s4z0xk <p>Miller creek is located in Marin County, California, and runs east from Big Rock Ridge through the Laws Gallinas Valley and into the San Pablo Bay. The Miller Creek watershed has been grazed continuously since the 1800s, and the creek has experienced sever widening and down cutting as a result. The miller Creek restoration Project, located in the Lucas Valley Estates subdivision and designed and built from 1979 to 1989, employed a multi-stage channel approach to restore and protect a riparian corridor through the subdivision, and prevent further lateral migration of the creek bed. In this study, the authors compared surveyed cross sections to drawings of the original channel conditions and the designed channel conditions, to determine channel response to the restoration activities. They also conducted a qualitative evaluation of the habitat quality within the project reach, and of vegetation establishment. They found that within the floodplain, the stream is evolving in a natural... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/66s4z0xk Sat, 1 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Yin, Wan-chih Pope-Daum, Caitilin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9366p62f <p>Alamo Creek is located 2 miles east of Danville California and drains a watershed of 7.4 square miles. The watershed has historically been used as a grazing land for cattle. The grazing coupled with increased urbanization of the watershed has caused channel incision thereby preventing normal flooding and preventing riparian establishment. The Windemere housing development initiated a restoration project in 1999 designed by Philip Williams Associates to prevent further channel incision, create a floodplain, form a healthy riparian zone, and stabilize the banks. The project reach runs from the north to the south for 11,600’ along the east side of the channel. This post-project appraisal found that 4 years after the project channel incision has been greatly reduced, a 100-150 meter floodplain now exists, and an early seral stage riparian zone exists with a 83% survival rate. Despite the project reaching its restoration goals the creek has not been completely restored, rather... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9366p62f Mon, 8 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Smolko, Darrell https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7n3132jp <p>The Upper Pine Creek Flood Control Project in Concord, California, includes the construction of a floodplain bypass to the southwest of the natural stream path between stations 140+06 and 168+10 (station numbers increase in an upstream direction). This project increases the capacity of Pine Creek from around 1000 to 3250 cubic feet per second (cfs) in the project reach. Construction of the floodplain bypass required excavation to an elevation below that of the pre-project groundwater table. Such excavation creates a local depression in the water table and threatens to drop the local water table below the bed of the existing creek, effectively killing the natural channel.</p><p>Analysis of contour maps of the pre- and post-project groundwater table reveals that the water table has dropped by up to 7 feet in the area between the natural channel and the floodplain bypass. Additionally, the slope of the water table has been altered to a direction that seems to favor flow along... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7n3132jp Mon, 8 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Williams, John L, III https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71f373tg <p>When considering a watershed system in the context of restoration, it is important to understand the fundamental processes controlling the form and function of the stream environment. Among these fundamental processes are the lithologic and structural geologic controls on hydrology, especially when restoration includes complex systems like wetlands. Rodeo Creek in the Marin Headlands portion of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area has undergone numerous anthropogenic changes in the past century, including agricultural forcing as well as military development. In order to investigate the way the underlying bedrock is affecting the creeks’ wetlands, the area was mapped for structural orientation and lithology. The bedrock was found to be generally oriented in a northwest to westerly fashion and dipping toward the southwest at angles ranging from 15 to 75 degrees from the horizontal. A bedrock geologic map was constructed using these data as well as existing survey work.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71f373tg Mon, 8 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Oerter, Erik https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hd7d7d4 <p>This paper presents a comparison of the successes and failures associated with two urban creek restoration programs, one in northern California (Temescal Creek, Alameda County) and another in southern California (White Oak Creek, Ventura County). Both programs were undertaken in response to flood control planning needs in urbanizing areas. The Temescal Creek effort was initiated nearly 30 years ago while the White Oak Creek program was completed about four years ago. Based on success criteria developed by the author, it is evident that the more recent White Oak Creek program has resulted in significant success while the earlier Temescal Creek restoration has not achieved what are considered generally acceptable levels of success criteria. An explanation for the differential degree of restoration achievement is provided in this paper. This explanation can be summarized briefly as being attributable to the following changes in management and scientific practice over the past... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hd7d7d4 Mon, 8 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Rowley, Charles https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1q18f2w6 <p>The Fly River Catchment drains about 3,300 km2 of southwester Papua New Guinea. The Fly River and its largest tributary, the Strickland river, are both subject to sediment discharges from mines in their headwaters. However, because of a naturally large sediment load, the increased loading on the Strickland and on the Lower fly below the confluence of the two rivers is not problematic. However, the discharge form the Ok Tedi mine into a tributaries of the Fly by the same name has choked portions of the river, caused meters of aggradation of the floodplain and severely diminished the ecological health of the system. Some efforts to mitigate the effects of the mine, but these have either failed completely or only have a small impact on the problem. The design of a tailings pipeline and impoundment area to eliminate input of highly contaminated sediments to the river is presented.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1q18f2w6 Mon, 8 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Swanson, Kathleen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0rp8s57b <p>In this study a post-project appraisal was conducted for a channel reconstruction that was implemented on Cuneo Creek in Humboldt County, California. In 1991 a reach of lower Cuneo Creek was reconstructed into a sinuous meandering channel in an effort to develop a ‘stable’ configuration. The original design was based on a Rosgen stream classification scheme and called for a 5,200-foot reach to be constructed with 43 meander bends in a sinuous pattern. The actual reconstruction involved a reach of only 1,700-feet with 8 meander bends and less sinuosity than the original design. A 30-year flood in 1996 caused the creek to abandon and bury the constructed channel. I analyzed changes in channel configuration shown in historical aerial photographs and found that the original channel design, and to a lesser extent the implemented channel form, were inconsistent with the historical forms. The basis of the project design was poorly documented, but was likely based on the ‘bankfull... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0rp8s57b Mon, 8 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Hansen, Aren https://escholarship.org/uc/item/90k9c1dh <p>This study analyzes the histories of two non-governmental watershed organizations in Butte County, California: the Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance and the Butte Creek Watershed Conservancy. Historical narratives, collected in interviews with current and past staff of these organizations, revealed a series of themes. For Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance, institutional problems and differences of opinion with public agencies were chronic challenges to attaining watershed goals. Networking, volunteer expertise, local political climate, pressure to engage agencies, and salmon listings emerged as important factors driving the evolution of the organization. For the Butte Creek Watershed Conservancy, the ability to define goals and priorities was influenced by the ability to foster consensus among diverse landowner viewpoints. Also, the structure and availability of funding, community support, and landowner interest are key to the organization’s work.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/90k9c1dh Fri, 5 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 King, Mary Ann Matz, Mike https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80j3n0kk <p>Lower Silver Creek in San Jose, California has been extremely altered by urbanization and is susceptible to major flood events. Multiple flood control projects have been proposed over the last thirty years and an environmentally conscious plan is currently under construction. The purpose of this study was to assess how the flood control plan of Lower Silver Creek evolved, to compare how well a built reach of the project (reach 1a) complied with the design documents, and to establish permanent benchmarks to assist future project monitoring. The first single-purpose plans for Lower Silver Creek recommended excavating the channel and lining it with concrete to prevent flooding. The most recent plan (1998) simultaneously addressed the flood problem using less concrete, introduced fish habitat, increased riparian vegetation, and attempted to return some geomorphic processes to the creek. Overall the earthen reach matched the design drawings; however the slope was an order of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80j3n0kk Fri, 5 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Keenan, Christina McPherson, Mariah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3ft991xc <p>Project monitoring has become a subject of increasing importance within the river restoration field. This study was completed as a post-construction evaluation of a restoration project completed in 1999 along a one-mile reach of Tassajara Creek near Dublin, California. Several objectives guided the design and implementation of the project, including that of protecting existing native trees and providing improved water quality. However, the main goal of the project was to stop incision on the channel, which, over the last century, had produced a deeply incised channel. A monitoring plan for this reach of Tassajara Creek, contained in an initial postproject evaluation completed in 2001, was implemented to evaluate the incision occurring on the creek. That same report found evidence that the creek had continued to incise since the project’s construction despite the restoration efforts. However, our study found that the project reach shows little or no evidence of incision, except... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3ft991xc Fri, 5 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Krofta, Chad Novotney, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2pt0g709 <p>Marsh Creek has undergone several modifications for flood control purposes since the early 1960’s. These projects included a grade-control drop structure and a flood-control dam, both of which impede fish passage along the creek. In addition, mercury pollution due to mine tailings at the upstream end of the creek has caused elevated mercury levels in stream biota and reservoir sediments. Although Chinook salmon have been observed in the lower reaches of Marsh Creek, the upper reaches are currently inaccessible, but would provide ideal salmon spawning habitat. Currently several proposals and plans exist to remove the drop structure and restore lower Marsh Creek, allowing salmon to migrate an additional seven miles upstream, as far upstream as the Marsh Creek Reservoir. In addition, the Contra Costa County Flood Control District hopes to redesign the reservoir to increase floodwater storage. This project presents a redesign of the Marsh Creek Reservoir, which allows fish... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2pt0g709 Fri, 5 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 McNulty, M. Eliza Wickland, Matthew https://escholarship.org/uc/item/02v4m1hw <p>Clear Creek drains 720 km2, joining the Sacramento River south of Redding, California. The 4.6-m high Saeltzer Dam blocked upstream migration of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) since it was built in 1912 to divert water for irrigation. Saeltzer Dam was removed in 2000 to restore anadramous fish access to upstream reaches. Before the dam was taken down, 19,000 m3 of sediment stored behind the dam was mechanically removed, but substantial deposits remained. A 2001 survey (Stillwater Sciences and University of California Davis 2001) detected little change over the 2001 flow season (peak flow 35 m3s-1). We resurveyed the channel in 2003 (peak flow 130 m3s-1). Our survey documented post 2001 incision of more than 1 m, over about 320 m upstream of from the former dam site to an active headcut, and lateral erosion of 15-18 m, for total erosion of over 39,750 m3 from the former reservoir deposit. The incision has led to desiccation of riparian trees (mostly Alnus spp.),... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/02v4m1hw Fri, 5 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Miller, Peter Vizcaino, Pilar https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8m56948z <p>Post-project monitoring data shows that the Cooley Landing Salt Pond breached-levee restoration is meeting the established project objectives by creating diverse habitat, which is evolving towards a mature marsh system. Engineered design elements, including breach channel training berms and levee borrow ditch blocks, have encouraged the re-occupation of the historic tidal channel footprint and prevented the development of primary channels in the artificial borrow ditch. The restored marshplain has aggraded by a maximum of 0.6 to 0.8 ft in the last two years and vegetated with pickleweed. The breaches provide adequate tidal drainage and low tide drainage is controlled by the elevation of the rapidly eroding outboard mudflat channels.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8m56948z Thu, 4 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Garrity, Nick https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6618r5h4 <p>Since the 1990s, local creek groups organized around habitat restoration and monitoring have coalesced into a growing force in the urban watershed movement that is creating new ways of engaging and reshaping the urban environment. Despite a growth in recent volunteer activities and funding allocation to these volunteer groups, little has been done to assess the biological and social outcomes of this volunteer creek stewardship. The Friends of Sausal Creek (FoSC) in Oakland, California is one of the most active volunteer groups in Alameda County monitoring and restoring riparian habitat along an adopted creek. From 2000 to 2001, a creek restoration project was designed by Wolfe Mason Associates, Inc. (WMA) and carried out for a reach of Sausal Creek in Dimond Canyon under FoSC’s guidance and stewardship.</p><p>This paper approaches the study of Sausal Creek in two parts to determine the overall health of that reach of the creek. The first aspect of this study was to determine... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6618r5h4 Thu, 4 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Chanse, Vikki Herron, Christy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5jb6665r <p>The Gerbode Creek drains 947 acres flowing westward to Rodeo Creek and thence to Rodeo Lagoon. The Gerbode valley is located ten miles north of San Francisco, California, in a former U.S. military base now part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area in Marin County. Numerous gullies are present in the watershed, presumably resulting from many years of agriculture, and road construction. In this study I measured the amount of sediment that has eroded in three separate gullies of the Gerbode Watershed and compared the volume of sediment transport to the area of its sub-watershed. I also analyzed aerial photos to see the changes in geomorphic form, riparian vegetation and human impact on Gerbode Valley. I have concluded that the sediment transport is a result of the agriculture and road runoff from this past 150 years. Based on aerial photos the riparian vegetation has been slowly making a comeback.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5jb6665r Thu, 4 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Costantino, Raymond L https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44r0s4c2 <p>The population in Placer County, California, is growing four times faster than the state of California. With the increase in population comes a large increase in impervious surfaces such as residential developments, strip malls, roads, and a probable decline in local stream water quality. To test whether the recent developments have impacted a local stream, we compared macroinvertebrate populations in an undeveloped (upstream) and a developed (downstream) reach of Secret Ravine. We sampled macroinvertebrates with a Surber sampler, following the EPA Rapid Bioassessment Protocols. The mean number of 55 organisms per sample downstream was significantly higher (p=0.02) than the mean number of 23 organisms per sample upstream. Although there was not any significant difference between the mean %EPT (pollution sensitive organisms) at the upstream and downstream sites, there was a significant difference between moderately sensitive (p=0.01) and tolerant (p=0.01) organisms. The... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44r0s4c2 Thu, 4 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 de Barruel, Monique West, Nicole https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bk851w9 <p>We assessed the success of Green Valley River Restoration Project, specifically assessing sedimentation and channel stability. The major objectives of the restoration were to provide flood control by constructing a two terraced channel, re-plant riparian corridor with native species, and mitigate for 1.89 acres of seasonal wetland lost to development. We attempted to compare project conditions after a major flow event in 1995 (second year after project completion) with those of the most recent (2002) surveys. Surveying methods were inconsistent from year to year making direct comparison of surveys difficult. In general, the two-terrace channel has remained relatively stable and successfully conveyed flood waters downstream. Erosion and deposition within the channel are less stable because of excessive sediment loading from upper watershed. Severe sedimentation along Hennessey Creek, a tributary to Green Valley Creek, caused damage to private property within the project reach... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bk851w9 Thu, 4 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Martin, Maureen Fortin, Alex https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1zb6p0z9 <p>Rodeo Lagoon is located ten miles north of San Francisco in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The 35-acre lagoon is separated from the ocean by a 500 foot wide beach for most of the year. In a normal year, Rodeo lagoon is joined to the ocean for three or four weeks during the winter, when floods in the watershed cause the lagoon to overtop its barrier beach. At this point an inlet channel forms, bringing water in and out of the lagoon with the tide until waves again build up the barrier beach. This breaching is critical to maintaining the health of the lagoon because it flushes the lagoon water out, keeps the temperature and salinity of the water at appropriate levels, and allows fish passage (Madej 1989).</p><p>The water quality in the lagoon is currently poor. This is of concern for three main reasons: several endangered species live in or around the lagoon, it is an important stop for migratory birds, and thousands of visitors come in contact with the lagoon each... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1zb6p0z9 Thu, 4 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 Burson, Kyla