Marsh Creek (California)
Encyclopedia
Marsh Creek is a stream in Contra Costa County, California
in Northern California which flows 30 miles (48.3 km) to the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta at Oakley, California
, in Contra Costa County.
who built his home on the creek in 1838 after acquiring the Rancho Los Meganos
Mexican land grant from Jose Noriega on the western edge of the town of Brentwood
and just to the east of what is now Clayton, California
. Marsh Creek was originally named Arroyo De Los Poblanos.
.
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sacramento
and San Joaquin River
watersheds. Straightening of lower Marsh Creek for flood control steepened its gradient relative to its original meandering course, requiring construction of a six foot waterfall drop structure 7 miles (11.3 km) in 1958 below Marsh Creek Dam (4 miles from the creek mouth). The drop structure and the Marsh Creek Reservoir dam (constructed in 1963) are complete barriers to anadromous fish migration. Below the dam and above the drop structure barrier there is suitable gravel quality, quantity, and vegetative cover to support Chinook salmon spawning. The presence of Rainbow trout
(Oncorhyncus mykiss) has not been established in fish surveys of Marsh Creek above the drop structure. In December 2010, construction of a $400,000 fish ladder made passage of the drop structure possible for the first time in 52 years, enabling chinook salmon and steelhead to potentially utilize the next 7 miles (11.3 km) of stream channel, up to the Marsh Creek Dam, as well as the Sand Creek and Deer Creek tributaries. The Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed citizen salmon monitoring program had identified salmon congregating immediately below the drop structure barrier prior to construction of the fish ladder.
Numerous perennial pools in the intermediate and upper zones of the Marsh Creek watershed have been rumored to support Rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss), however this has not been confirmed by fish sampling studies. If rainbow trout were identified in the higher watershed it would raise the possibility that steelhead trout historically used Marsh Creek for spawning (rainbow trout are the landlocked form of steelhead trout). Recent observations of perennial pools in the upper reach of Sand Creek in Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve suggest that removal of the two existing migration barriers on Sand Creek might open up suitable habitat for steelhead trout.
The intermediate and upper watershed zones are also home to four federally listed faunal species – the Alameda Whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis), California red-legged frog
(Rana aurora draytonii), San Joaquin Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica), and Vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi).
The tidal waters at the mouth of Marsh Creek and Big Break provide habitat for the federally threatened Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) and Delta smelt
(Hypomesus transpacificus). Big Break, where Marsh Creek enters the Delta, is one of only three locations where adult splittail still congregate in large numbers.
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
in Northern California which flows 30 miles (48.3 km) to the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta at Oakley, California
Oakley, California
Oakley is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,432 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Oakley is part of the East Contra Costa Bicycle Plan, which has existing facilities in Oakley as well as plans for further expansion....
, in Contra Costa County.
History
The creek bears the name of notable California pioneer John MarshJohn Marsh (pioneer)
“Doctor” John Marsh was born in 1799 in South Danvers, Massachusetts and died in Pacheco, California in 1856. He was an early pioneer and settler in California, and although he did not have a medical degree, is often regarded as the first person to practice medicine in California.-Early life:Marsh...
who built his home on the creek in 1838 after acquiring the Rancho Los Meganos
Rancho Los Meganos
Rancho Los Meganos was a Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to Jose Noriega. "Meganos" means "sand dunes" in Spanish. Rancho Los Meganos extends eastward from present day Antioch along the San Joaquin River to the Old River...
Mexican land grant from Jose Noriega on the western edge of the town of Brentwood
Brentwood, California
Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 51,481 as of 2010....
and just to the east of what is now Clayton, California
Clayton, California
Clayton is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 10,897 as of the 2010 census.- Geography :...
. Marsh Creek was originally named Arroyo De Los Poblanos.
Watershed
The Marsh Creek watershed drains about 100 square miles of the eastern slopes of Mt. Diablo and the neighboring portions of the Black Hills. Its upper tributaries are intermittent and small perennial streams which flow northwesterly until the creek turns east at Marsh Creek Springs. The creek was dammed downstream from the Springs in the 1960s, forming Marsh Creek Reservoir. The major tributaries are Briones, Dry, Deer and Sand Creeeks. Briones Creek, which drains the undeveloped Briones Valley, flows into Marsh Creek at the Marsh Creek Reservoir, while Dry, Deer, and Sand creeks all flow into Marsh Creek within the city limits of rentwood, California|Brentwood]. The creek is largely channelized in the lower watershed, and includes a drop structure near the city of Brentwood that appears to be a complete passage barrier. The lower stretch of the creek includes 11 miles (17.7 km) from the outfall of the Marsh Creek Reservoir into the western Delta at the Big Break area of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta northeast of the city of OakleyOakley, California
Oakley is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,432 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Oakley is part of the East Contra Costa Bicycle Plan, which has existing facilities in Oakley as well as plans for further expansion....
.
Conservation and Ecology
Human activities have led to the loss of over 80 percent of suitable spawning habitat for fall-run Chinook salmonChinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sacramento
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
and San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
watersheds. Straightening of lower Marsh Creek for flood control steepened its gradient relative to its original meandering course, requiring construction of a six foot waterfall drop structure 7 miles (11.3 km) in 1958 below Marsh Creek Dam (4 miles from the creek mouth). The drop structure and the Marsh Creek Reservoir dam (constructed in 1963) are complete barriers to anadromous fish migration. Below the dam and above the drop structure barrier there is suitable gravel quality, quantity, and vegetative cover to support Chinook salmon spawning. The presence of Rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
(Oncorhyncus mykiss) has not been established in fish surveys of Marsh Creek above the drop structure. In December 2010, construction of a $400,000 fish ladder made passage of the drop structure possible for the first time in 52 years, enabling chinook salmon and steelhead to potentially utilize the next 7 miles (11.3 km) of stream channel, up to the Marsh Creek Dam, as well as the Sand Creek and Deer Creek tributaries. The Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed citizen salmon monitoring program had identified salmon congregating immediately below the drop structure barrier prior to construction of the fish ladder.
Numerous perennial pools in the intermediate and upper zones of the Marsh Creek watershed have been rumored to support Rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
(Oncorhynchus mykiss), however this has not been confirmed by fish sampling studies. If rainbow trout were identified in the higher watershed it would raise the possibility that steelhead trout historically used Marsh Creek for spawning (rainbow trout are the landlocked form of steelhead trout). Recent observations of perennial pools in the upper reach of Sand Creek in Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve suggest that removal of the two existing migration barriers on Sand Creek might open up suitable habitat for steelhead trout.
The intermediate and upper watershed zones are also home to four federally listed faunal species – the Alameda Whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis), California red-legged frog
California Red-legged Frog
The California red-legged frog, Rana draytonii, is a moderate to large species of frog. It is known under the scientific name Rana draytonii, after being long included with the northern red-legged frog The California red-legged frog, Rana draytonii, is a moderate to large (4.4–14 cm) species...
(Rana aurora draytonii), San Joaquin Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica), and Vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi).
The tidal waters at the mouth of Marsh Creek and Big Break provide habitat for the federally threatened Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) and Delta smelt
Delta smelt
Delta smelt, Hypomesus transpacificus, is an endangered slender-bodied smelt, about long, of the Osmeridae family. Endemic to the upper Sacramento-San Joaquin estuary of California, it mainly inhabits the freshwater-saltwater mixing zone of the estuary, except during its spawning season, which...
(Hypomesus transpacificus). Big Break, where Marsh Creek enters the Delta, is one of only three locations where adult splittail still congregate in large numbers.