Lower Walnut Creek Restoration

Status Completed County Contra Costa
Project Type Non-mitigation Location 38.03240° N, -122.08508° W Map
Project Area (Acres) 258.0 Last Updated 21 December 2023
Project Abstract Enhancement and restoration of wetlands and riparian habitat along four miles of Walnut Creek and Pacheco Creeks to provide vital wildlife habitat and sustainable flood protection, and allow opportunities for public access and recreation.
Project Groups San Francisco Bay Adaptation | San Francisco Bay Joint Venture | San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority (Eligible) | San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority (Funded)
Administrative Region San Francisco Bay Joint Venture - Jemma Williams, SFBJV

Project Identification

IDType
94 JV - Record Number
RA-013 SFBRA - Project ID

Habitat Plan

Site NamePhaseActivitySubActivitiesHabitatSubHabitatAcresActivity StatusWater Regime
Lower Walnut Creek Restoration Implementation Restoration (unspecified) Bay Habitat (SFBJV Only) Tidal marsh 136.0 Implementation completed Fully tidal
Lower Walnut Creek Restoration Implementation Restoration/Rehabilitation Seasonal Wetland Diked wetland 43.00 Implementation completed
Lower Walnut Creek Restoration Implementation Restoration/Re-establishment Upland Unknown/Unspecified 79.00 Implementation completed

Related Habitat Impacts

Impact Project NameHabitatAcres LostType of Loss
No Data

Sites

NameStatusAcres
Lower Walnut Creek Restoration Construction completed 258.0

Events

DateTypeDescriptionSite Name
2022-02-21 Phase end Substantial completion of restoration grading and native plant installation. Lower Walnut Creek Restoration
2022-02-08 Monitoring start Start of vegetation monitoring. Date is approximate Lower Walnut Creek Restoration
2021-10-29 Groundwork end Levee breach
2021-10-29 Levee breach Epic levee breach ceremony. Attended by 200+ guests. Covered by all local media outlets. Lower Walnut Creek Restoration
2021-04-26 Groundwork start Start of restoration work Lower Walnut Creek Restoration
2020-10-08 Permit RWQCB 401 Cert issued for the project
2020-09-30 Permit CDFW Stream Alteration Agreement issued for the project. Notification No. 1600-2019-0275-R3
2019-11-19 Update Project CEQA document (IS/MND) approved by Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors and uploaded to the State Clearinghouse..
2019-05-28 Other no event - need to delete this entry.
2019-05-27 Other No event - need to delete this entry.
2019-05-26 Other No event need to delete this entry
2019-05-22 Report Release of 65% construction plans.
2019-05-15 Update Milestone decision point to include expanded north reach as part of overall project. This allows improved, direct tidal connection to restored tidal wetlands in North Reach.
2017-04-21 Report Lower Walnut Creek Feasibility Study Report released.
2003-02-01 Project start date

People

TypeNameOrganizationDepartment
Contact Paul Detjens Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Not applicable/Unknown

Funding

Funding Need: $2,000,000

PhaseActivityFunderAmount
Implementation Restoration/Rehabilitation SFBRA San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority - Measure AA
Implementation Restoration/Re-establishment SFBRA San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority - Measure AA
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) SFBRA San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority - Measure AA $10,929,855
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $1,500,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) CDFW Prop 1 - Delta Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration Grant Program $1,350,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) CDFW Wetlands Restoration for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program $950,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife $560,000
Implementation Restoration (unspecified) CalFed (historic funding program) $260,000

Related CRAM Assessments

Visit DateVersionSite NameWetland TypeIndex Score
2021-04-16 6.1 Lower Walnut Creek Restoration #4 Pre-Implementation estuarine perennial non-saline 76
2021-04-16 6.1 Lower Walnut Creek Restoration #3 Pre-Implementation perennial/seasonal depressional 64
2021-04-12 6.1 Lower Walnut Creek Restoration #1 Pre-Implementation perennial/seasonal depressional 69
2021-04-12 6.1 Lower Walnut Creek Restoration #2 Pre-Implementation perennial/seasonal depressional 66

Performance Measures

Plan NamePlan GoalPerformance MeasureMeasure ValueStatusEvaluation Date
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Community Engagement Benefits economically disadvantaged communities 0 yes in-progress/partially achieved
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Community Engagement Has significant youth involvement component 0 yes in-progress/partially achieved
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Community Engagement Number of unique volunteers expected to participate 0 count measure achieved
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Community Engagement Number of volunteer hours expected to be contributed 0 count measure achieved
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Community Engagement Number of youth participants expected to be engaged 0 count measure achieved
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Flood Protection Miles of levee to be constructed 0.66 miles in-progress/partially achieved
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Public Access Miles of Bay Trail to be constructed 0 miles measure achieved
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Public Access Number of public access facilities to be constructed 4 count in-progress/partially achieved
Name File Type Submitted On Submitted By
2022 Spring Vegetation Survey Monitoring Report 2022-06-07 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Lower Walnut Creek CDFW SAA Plan Or Permit 2020-10-08 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Lower Walnut Creek Restoration Project Feasibility Study Report Plan Or Permit 2017-06-08 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Lower Walnut Creek Restoration Project Study Report Other 2018-02-06 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Lower Walnut Creek Restoration project Plan Or Permit 2020-10-08 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Project Study Report Other 2018-02-05 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Reports and Documents Webpage Other 2017-06-08 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
South Reach orthophoto Photo 2022-06-07 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
Staff Recommendation Other 2020-11-18 Sara Haugen, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture

How to Use the Habitat Development Curve

Habitat Development Curves (HDCs) are used to determine the developmental status and trajectory of on-the-ground projects to create, restore, or enhance California wetland and stream habitats. Each HDC is based on assessments of habitat condition for different age areas of one habitat type that in aggregate represent the full spectrum of habitat development. The assessments of condition are provided by expert applications of the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM). Visit the CRAM website for more information about CRAM.

For each HDC, reference condition is represented by areas of a habitat that consistently get very high CRAM scores, have not been subject to disruptive management practices, and exist within landscapes that are protected and managed for their natural conditions. The horizontal lines intersecting the top of an HDC represent the mean CRAM score and standard deviation of scores for 25 qualifying reference areas.

The age of a project is estimated as the elapsed time in years between the groundwork end date for the project and the date of the CRAM assessment. To add or update a groundwork end date, use the Project Events form in Project Tracker (ptrack.ecoatlas.org). The minimum age in years of a non-project area, including any natural reference area, is estimated from all available local information, including historical maps and imagery, historical written accounts, and place-specific scientific studies of habitat development.

An HDC can be used to address the following questions:

  1. At what time in the future will the area of assessed habitat achieve the reference condition or other milestones in habitat development? The HDC can answer this question if the CRAM score for the assessed area is within the confidence interval of the HDC. The answer is the time in years along the HDC between the current age of the assessed area and the future date corresponding to the intersection of the HDC and the reference condition or other milestone.
  2. Is the area of assessed habitat likely to develop faster, slower, or at the same pace as most other areas of the same habitat type? The habitat area is likely to develop faster, slower, or at the same pace if the CRAM score for the area is above, below, or within the confidence interval of the HDC, respectively.
  3. What can be done to improve the condition of the habitat area or to increase its rate of development? HDCs by themselves cannot answer this question. Possible answers can be inferred by the following analysis that involves HDCs:
    1. Examine the HDC for each of the four CRAM Attributes;
    2. Identify the Attribute(s) scoring below the HDC;
    3. For any low-scoring Attribute, examine the component Metric Scores (note: the Metric Scores for any public CRAM assessment in the CRAM database can be obtained through EcoAtlas);
    4. Assume the low score of an Attribute is due to its low-scoring Metric(s);
    5. Consider modifying the design or management of the habitat area in ways that will sustainably increase its score(s) for the low-scoring Metric(s).

For more information about CRAM Attributes and Metrics, including their scientific rationale, see the CRAM Manual.

Display Habitat Development Curves For Wetland Type:

CRAM Site Scores