San Pablo Step Pools Restoration Project
Client
Friends of Orinda Creeks
Project Categories
Tags
phishingFisheries ReportFish Passage DesignSalmonid RestorationwaterUrban Creek RestorationAging Infrastructure
The concrete lining of San Pablo Creek was cracked and in need of replacement, presenting the opportunity to restore the creek with an environmentally sound alternative. The channel’s bottom was lined with broken concrete in portions of the site, and both banks were armored with concrete and steel sheet piles. The left bank has a steel sheet pile wall installed through the entire site. The broken concrete posed a flooding threat if it became mobilized and clogged the downstream culvert.
Ecologically Conscious Design
The design solution would have to provide fish passage while facilitating a stable channel. The final design removed the concrete channel lining and installed three boulder weir step pools. The resulting project balanced the need for channel stability and flood control with the need for fish to be able to traverse this section of the creek.
Step Pool Habitat
FlowWest tailored the project design to the site, ensuring that the design was integrated with both the mature riparian vegetation and the existing channel infrastructure to secure the stability of the channel. Construction of the San Pablo Step Pools was completed in October 2022. The restored creek now offers improved passage and habitat for fish navigating the creek.
