Marin Creek
Encyclopedia
Marin Creek is a creek
tributary of Codornices Creek
in northwestern Alameda County, California
. The lower stretch of Marin Creek is also known as Village Creek.
through the cities of Berkeley
and Albany
to San Francisco Bay
. Throughout much of its course, it runs in culverts. Below San Pablo Avenue through the University Village
, it runs in the open in several stretches. It was daylighted
in the course of the construction of the Target
store between Eastshore Highway and the Union Pacific tracks. The creek empties into a slough it shares with Codornices Creek
and Schoolhouse Creek
. The slough, which has been largely filled in, lies between the Golden Gate Fields
racetrack and the Eastshore Freeway.
Open sections of the creek are maintained by Friends of the Five Creeks, a community organization.
In the early 20th century, a portion of the creek flowed through a channel in the center of Marin Avenue in Albany, which has since been culvert
ed. In fact the creek has been culverted nearly in its entirety under Marin Avenue. Culverting of this creek has led to flooding and drainage problems in Albany, as this practice is not a sound nor permanent method of containing drainwater.
The University of California Berkeley daylighted a portion Lower Marin or Village Creek. The 900-foot (0.27 km) stretch of the creek through UC Village
has been modeled into an 1,125-foot (0.34 km) 0.77 acre (.31 hectares) riparian habitat with the purposes of habitat restoration and community protection from a 100 year flood.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
tributary of Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek , long, is one of the principal creeks which runs out of the Berkeley Hills in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. In its upper stretch, it passes entirely within the city limits of Berkeley, and marks the city limit with the adjacent city of Albany in...
in northwestern Alameda County, California
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
. The lower stretch of Marin Creek is also known as Village Creek.
Overview
The creek runs from the Berkeley HillsBerkeley Hills
The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that surrounds San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" , but with the establishment of Berkeley and the University of California, the current usage was...
through the cities of Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and Albany
Albany, California
Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
to San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. Throughout much of its course, it runs in culverts. Below San Pablo Avenue through the University Village
University Village
University Village may mean:*University Village, Albany, California*University Village, Chicago, Illinois*University Village, Grand Forks, North Dakota*University Village, New York*University Village, Riverside, California...
, it runs in the open in several stretches. It was daylighted
Daylighting (streams)
In urban design and urban planning, daylighting is the redirection of a stream into an above-ground channel. Typically, the goal is to restore a stream of water to a more natural state...
in the course of the construction of the Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
store between Eastshore Highway and the Union Pacific tracks. The creek empties into a slough it shares with Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek , long, is one of the principal creeks which runs out of the Berkeley Hills in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. In its upper stretch, it passes entirely within the city limits of Berkeley, and marks the city limit with the adjacent city of Albany in...
and Schoolhouse Creek
Schoolhouse Creek
Schoolhouse Creek is the name of a creek which flows through the city of Berkeley, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.-History:The creek acquired its name from a school which was sited adjacent to it, the Ocean View School...
. The slough, which has been largely filled in, lies between the Golden Gate Fields
Golden Gate Fields
Golden Gate Fields is an American horse racing track straddling both Albany, California and Berkeley, California along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay adjacent to the Eastshore Freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area...
racetrack and the Eastshore Freeway.
Open sections of the creek are maintained by Friends of the Five Creeks, a community organization.
In the early 20th century, a portion of the creek flowed through a channel in the center of Marin Avenue in Albany, which has since been culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
ed. In fact the creek has been culverted nearly in its entirety under Marin Avenue. Culverting of this creek has led to flooding and drainage problems in Albany, as this practice is not a sound nor permanent method of containing drainwater.
The University of California Berkeley daylighted a portion Lower Marin or Village Creek. The 900-foot (0.27 km) stretch of the creek through UC Village
UC Village
UC Village, also called University Village or University Village Albany, is a housing community for students who are married or have dependents. It is owned and administered by the University of California, Berkeley. It is located within the city limits of Albany about two miles away from the main...
has been modeled into an 1,125-foot (0.34 km) 0.77 acre (.31 hectares) riparian habitat with the purposes of habitat restoration and community protection from a 100 year flood.
External links
- Friends of the Five Creeks - maps of Marin/Village Creek.