By Helen Fitanides For the last few months, we’ve been working with Flow West to build an app that brings together our monitoring data with that of other groups, and presents it in an interesting and interactive way. We’re happy to announce that the app is now live! Please visit it here, and read below for a tour of the app. On the main page of the app you can learn about all of the water quality features that we monitor in a creek, which have been grouped according to type, such as vital signs, which includes temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, and turbidity. Click on a …
Healthy Watersheds
Planning for Water-Related Improvements in North Richmond
By Anne Bremer The Watershed Project is part of a regional effort to coordinate and improve drinking water, stormwater, wastewater, and the health of waterways, particularly in communities that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts. As a long-time community partner in North Richmond, The Watershed Project worked to identify which types of water-related improvements are of greatest priority to the North Richmond community. Our assessment evaluated four areas of need: 1) sea level rise and stormwater, 2) habitat protection and access to recreation, 3) water supply, and 4) wastewater and …
From Rails to Swales: Managing Stormwater Naturally on the Richmond Greenway
By Kat Sawyer Did you know that the Richmond Greenway is part of the Rails-to-Trails network, where old railway land is converted to greenspace across the country? What was once a right-of-way for the Santa Fe Railroad is now a pedestrian and bike trail for Richmond residents. Local nonprofits have adopted parts of the Richmond Greenway to create gardens and parks that provide an urban oasis where people can walk and ride bikes through the city apart from busy streets. The Watershed Project has played a role in the transformation of the greenway over the years creating swales and rain …
Go With the Flow: Urban Creek Care Tips
By Paula White A creek flowing through your back yard can be a restful oasis with proper care. In the pages of the newly updated Living With Creeks brochure, we offer guidance on how to keep your creek healthy so that you, your neighbors, and local wildlife will be happy. Tip 1: Get informed about how to care for your creek. If you don’t have a creek running through your backyard but want to be involved with creek stewardship, The Watershed Project has many opportunities throughout the year to participate in creek cleanups and water quality and habitat monitoring. Tip 2: Give the creek some …
Can steelheads return to Wildcat Creek?
By Sarah Haselton On a Tuesday morning at the Wildcat Creek Fish Ladder, I had the opportunity to help conduct a sediment survey and learn about the importance and functions of fish ladders. The Watershed Project has been involved with this particular fish ladder in the past, along with several other organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Contra Costa County Flood Control, Contra Costa Conservation District, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Cities of San Pablo and Richmond. These organizations all worked together to hold an event for Coastal Cleanup day in 2018. The …
Creek Monitoring Program: The data is out!
For the last year, dedicated interns and volunteers have collected water quality data at over 20 sites throughout Contra Costa County. We are happy to report that our data is now online thanks to Water Reporter, a fast-growing social network dedicated to helping communities observe, protect, and restore our world's waterways. Click here to see the data we collected in the Wildcat, San Pablo, Walnut, Grayson, and Marsh Creek Watersheds! Call for volunteers We’re now moving into our second year of the Creek Monitoring Program, and we would love to get you out into the creeks with us! We could …
Tap Water: Healthy, Cheap and Good for the Planet
By Guest Contributor It’s hard to believe that one of nature’s most pure, beautiful and life-sustaining bounties, water, could run into so much trouble. But here we are. Trashed and polluted rivers, creeks, lakes, beaches and oceans. Tragic drinking water crises such as Flint, Michigan, where the public water system of a major city was contaminated with lead. Countries around the globe struggling to maintain clean drinking water systems for their people. It’s no wonder so many people don’t trust tap water from the faucet. They end up double-paying for water; buying bottled water in the …
East Bay Water Supply: The Journey from the Mokelumne River to our Sinks
By Lauren Woodfill Every morning, one of the first things I do is turn on the tap and fill a glass. Clean, clear drinking water comes bubbling out in a seemingly endless supply into my glass. It is easy to turn off the tap and walk away, sipping water but not thinking about the long journey the water took to reach my home. Where does our East Bay water come from? The story begins a nearly 100 years ago and crosses nearly the full width of the state to provide water to East Bay cities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Those little drops that fill our kitchen sinks begin their …
