Ten Mile River (California)
Encyclopedia
Ten Mile River is a river
in northern Mendocino County, California
, United States
. It is named for the fact that its mouth is ten miles (16 km) north of the mouth of the Noyo River
. The middle and north forks of the river are each 15 miles (24.1 km) long, and the river extends for seven more miles from their confluence to its mouth, on the Pacific Ocean
. The watershed of Ten Mile River is neighbored on the south by the Noyo River
and on the east and north by the South Fork Eel River
. 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of salt marsh
provide a habitat for many birds. Ten Mile Beach, in MacKerricher State Park
, extends approximately five miles southward from the mouth of the river to Cleone
, including approximately 1300 acres (5.3 km²) of what has been called California's "most pristine stretch of sand dunes."
continuously since the early 1870s. At first, trees were cut using single-bladed axes and dragged by oxen to mills at Fort Bragg
, ten miles (16 km) to the south. Railroad lines were introduced on the South Fork in 1910 and on the other parts of the river in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the railroads were replaced by tractor roads; after the passage of the California Forest Practice Act in 1973,
tractor logging on steeper slopes was supplanted by more environmentally friendly practices such as the use of cables.
The timber on both sides of the river was logged by the Georgia Pacific Company
until 1999, when Georgia-Pacific's holdings in the area were acquired by the Hawthorne Timber Company. Timber in the area is logged on a 60-year rotation.
An 1861 story in Harper's Monthly includes a passage recounting the crossing of Ten Mile River: "We found the crossing a little dangerous on account of the tide, which sometimes renders it impassible for several hours, except by swimming. With some plunging, spurring, and kicking, the opposite side was gained in due time". Later, the river was spanned near its mouth by a bridge on California State Route 1
, north of the community of Inglenook
.
A concrete beam bridge replaced an older wooden deck truss bridge in 1954. After studies found that the 1954 bridge was insufficiently earthquake-safe
, a new concrete box girder bridge
on Highway 1 was constructed in 2009. The new bridge is 45 feet (13.7 m) wide and 1479 feet (450.8 m) long; it cost $43.5 million to construct.
study reported that "Sediment was determined to be impacting the cold water fishery, a beneficial use of the Ten Mile River watershed, including the migration, spawning, reproduction, and early development of cold water fish such as coho salmon and steelhead trout. Cold freshwater and estuarine habitats are also designated beneficial uses of the Ten Mile River watershed." The spawning population of coho salmon
in Ten Mile River has been observed to decrease from an estimate of 6000 fish in the early 1960s to much lower numbers ranging from 14 to 250 in the 1990s. Factors that have been advanced to cause this decline include natural variability, excessive sedimentation
from logging, increased water temperatures due to the removal of shade trees and increased airflow over riparian areas, and lessened amounts of woody debris in salmon habitats.
The endangered Tidewater goby
(Eucyclogobius newberryi) is also found in the creek's brackish coastal lagoon and several miles upstream in sections of stream impounded by California Golden beavers (Castor canadensis subauratus) which provide ideal slow-moving water habitat for gobies.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in northern Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is named for the fact that its mouth is ten miles (16 km) north of the mouth of the Noyo River
Noyo River
The Noyo River is a river on the north coast of California in Mendocino County. The river's headwaters are in the steep Mendocino Range, but downstream the river flows through gently sloping marine terraces before draining into the Pacific Ocean...
. The middle and north forks of the river are each 15 miles (24.1 km) long, and the river extends for seven more miles from their confluence to its mouth, on the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The watershed of Ten Mile River is neighbored on the south by the Noyo River
Noyo River
The Noyo River is a river on the north coast of California in Mendocino County. The river's headwaters are in the steep Mendocino Range, but downstream the river flows through gently sloping marine terraces before draining into the Pacific Ocean...
and on the east and north by the South Fork Eel River
South Fork Eel River
The South Fork Eel River is the longest and largest tributary of the Eel River, in the north-central part of the U.S. state of California. The river flows north from Laytonville to Dyerville/Founders' Grove where it joins the Eel River on the left bank...
. 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
provide a habitat for many birds. Ten Mile Beach, in MacKerricher State Park
MacKerricher State Park
MacKerricher State Park in Northern California offers a variety of habitats: beach, bluff, headland, dune, forest, and wetland. Tide pools are along the shore. Seals live on the rocks off the park’s Mendocino coast. More than 90 species of birds visit or live near Cleone Lake, a former tidal lagoon...
, extends approximately five miles southward from the mouth of the river to Cleone
Cleone, California
Cleone is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located north-northeast of Fort Bragg on California State Highway 1, at an elevation of 79 feet . It most likely takes its name from Kelio, a division or village of the Pomo people...
, including approximately 1300 acres (5.3 km²) of what has been called California's "most pristine stretch of sand dunes."
History
The Ten Mile River basin has been loggedLogging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
continuously since the early 1870s. At first, trees were cut using single-bladed axes and dragged by oxen to mills at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, California
Fort Bragg is a city located in coastal Mendocino County, California along State Route 1, the major north-south highway along the Pacific Coast. Fort Bragg is located west of Willits, at an elevation of 85 feet...
, ten miles (16 km) to the south. Railroad lines were introduced on the South Fork in 1910 and on the other parts of the river in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the railroads were replaced by tractor roads; after the passage of the California Forest Practice Act in 1973,
tractor logging on steeper slopes was supplanted by more environmentally friendly practices such as the use of cables.
The timber on both sides of the river was logged by the Georgia Pacific Company
Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products and related chemicals. As of Fall 2010, the company employed more than 40,000 people at more...
until 1999, when Georgia-Pacific's holdings in the area were acquired by the Hawthorne Timber Company. Timber in the area is logged on a 60-year rotation.
An 1861 story in Harper's Monthly includes a passage recounting the crossing of Ten Mile River: "We found the crossing a little dangerous on account of the tide, which sometimes renders it impassible for several hours, except by swimming. With some plunging, spurring, and kicking, the opposite side was gained in due time". Later, the river was spanned near its mouth by a bridge on California State Route 1
California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
, north of the community of Inglenook
Inglenook, California
Inglenook is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It is located on Inglenook Creek south of Westport and approximately north of Cleone, at an elevation of 102 feet . California State Highway 1 passes through the town, connecting it to Cleone and Fort Bragg to the south and...
.
A concrete beam bridge replaced an older wooden deck truss bridge in 1954. After studies found that the 1954 bridge was insufficiently earthquake-safe
Earthquake engineering structures
Earthquake-resistant structures are designed and constructed to withstand various types of hazardous earthquake exposures at the sites of their particular location....
, a new concrete box girder bridge
Box girder bridge
A box girder bridge is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises either prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinforced concrete. The box is typically rectangular or trapezoidal in cross-section...
on Highway 1 was constructed in 2009. The new bridge is 45 feet (13.7 m) wide and 1479 feet (450.8 m) long; it cost $43.5 million to construct.
Ecology
As with many rivers in the area, the Ten Mile River is subject to environmental problems caused by logging. A United States Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
study reported that "Sediment was determined to be impacting the cold water fishery, a beneficial use of the Ten Mile River watershed, including the migration, spawning, reproduction, and early development of cold water fish such as coho salmon and steelhead trout. Cold freshwater and estuarine habitats are also designated beneficial uses of the Ten Mile River watershed." The spawning population of coho salmon
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
in Ten Mile River has been observed to decrease from an estimate of 6000 fish in the early 1960s to much lower numbers ranging from 14 to 250 in the 1990s. Factors that have been advanced to cause this decline include natural variability, excessive sedimentation
Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
from logging, increased water temperatures due to the removal of shade trees and increased airflow over riparian areas, and lessened amounts of woody debris in salmon habitats.
The endangered Tidewater goby
Tidewater goby
The tidewater goby Eucyclogobius newberryi is a goby native to lagoons of streams along the coast of California.-Taxonomy:The genus name translates as "true cycloid goby", referring to the scales, while the species epithet is in honor of J. S. Newberry. The tidewater goby is the sole member of its...
(Eucyclogobius newberryi) is also found in the creek's brackish coastal lagoon and several miles upstream in sections of stream impounded by California Golden beavers (Castor canadensis subauratus) which provide ideal slow-moving water habitat for gobies.
Watershed
The Ten Mile River mainstem begins at the confluence of North Fork Ten Mile River and Middle Fork Ten Mile River, flows southwest then northwest to the Pacific Ocean 5.7 miles (9.1 km) south of Westport. The North Fork Ten Mile River begins at elevation 2,400 feet. The Middle Fork Ten Mile River begins at elevation 2460 feet (749.8 m) on the north side of Sherwood Peak.External links
- KRIS Ten Mile project, Klamath Resource Information System.
- California Watershed Browser - Ten Mile River