Wildcat Marsh is the wetlands delta formed by the mouth of Wildcat Creek

Wildcat Creek

Wildcat Creek may refer to:* Wildcat Creek * Wildcat Creek * Wildcat Creek * Wildcat Creek...

 at its confluence with Castro Creek

Castro Creek

Castro Creek is a creek in Richmond, California in the western part of the city adjacent to the Chevron Oil Refinery. Wildcat Creek drains into it directly and though other Wildcat Marsh tributaries into Castro Cove of San Pablo Bay...

 in Richmond, California

Richmond, California

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...

. The marsh is critical habitat for endangered species

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 and has been contaminated and damaged by runoff from the Chevron Richmond Refinery

Chevron Richmond Refinery

The Chevron Richmond Refinery is a petroleum refinery in Richmond, California, on San Francisco Bay. It is owned and operated by Chevron Corporation and employs more than 1,200 workers, making it the city's largest employer. The refinery processes approximately of crude oil a day in the...

 and the city's landfill and a salvage yard. The marsh was isolated from tidal effects but restoration efforts are underway as is the closure of the landfill and cleanup of the mudflats contaminated by mercury

Mercury poisoning

Mercury poisoning is a disease caused by exposure to mercury or its compounds. Mercury is a heavy metal occurring in several forms, all of which can produce toxic effects in high enough doses...

 and PAH

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH...

s from the refinery.