Pinole Creek
Pinole Creek | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
Region | Contra Costa County |
City | Pinole, California |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Briones Hills |
• location | 6 mi (10 km) west of Pleasant Hill, California |
• coordinates | 37°57′3″N 122°9′34″W / 37.95083°N 122.15944°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,090 ft (330 m) |
Mouth | Chelsea Wetlands, San Pablo Bay |
• location | Hercules |
• coordinates | 38°0′51″N 122°17′48″W / 38.01417°N 122.29667°W[1] |
• elevation | 7 ft (2.1 m)[1] |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Duncan Creek |
• right | North Creek, Fana Creek |
Pinole Creek is a
The creek has one of the last primarily undeveloped watersheds in the Bay Area.[2]
Course
The
History
The name
Watershed
The upper watershed contains large areas of open space and managed grazing lands, with ranching and agricultural activities, and residential equestrian properties. The lower watershed contains the historic Old Town District of Pinole, and suburban neighborhoods in Pinole, El Sobrante, and Hercules. The watershed follows the regional geologic northwest–southeast orientation, similar to the orientation of the Berkeley Hills, and is located just northeast of the Sobrante Ridge.
The watershed is approximately 39.6 square miles (103 km2) in area, extending from headwaters on Costa and Duarte Peaks in the Briones Hills, northwest to the San Pablo Bay just east of Wilson Point. The average annual rainfall for the Pinole Creek watershed is 610 mm (24 in), with 90% falling between November and April. There are twelve minor, locally named tributaries and the gradient is 1%.[2]
In 1965, the Army Corps of Engineers armored the creek channel between Interstate 80 and San Pablo Bay for flood control. However, this removed riparian zone vegetation and tree cover needed for food, shelter, and shade for fish and other wildlife.[5]
Ecology
Fauna
Biologists from the
Pinole Creek supports a mostly native fish assemblage including rainbow/steelhead trout,
Flora
Native plants are species of the
See also
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pinole Creek
- ^ a b Pearce, S.; McKee, L.; Shonkoff, S. (2005). Pinole Creek Watershed Sediment Source Assessment. A technical report of the Regional Watershed Program, San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) (PDF) (Report). Oakland, California: San Francisco Estuary Institute. p. 102. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 10, 2007. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ TopoQuest map, USGS, retrieved July 5, 2008
- ^ ISBN 978-1-884995-35-4. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
- ^ a b c d Urban Creeks Council of California, and Restoration Design Group, LLC (June 2004). Pinole Creek Watershed Vision Plan (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 2010-09-05.
{{cite report}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ San Francisco Estuary Watersheds Evaluation - Identifying Promising Locations for Steelhead Restoration in Tributaries of the San Francisco Estuary (PDF) (Report). San Francisco Estuary Institute. August 2007. p. 29. Retrieved 2010-09-05.