Castro Creek

Castro Creek
stream
Country United States
State California
Region Contra Costa County
Tributaries
 - right Wildcat Creek
Source
 - location Chevron USA Richmond Oil Refinery
 - coordinates  [1]
Mouth San Pablo Bay
 - elevation 0 ft (0 m) [1]
 - coordinates  [1]

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. The creek drains from the drainage basin of the surrounding area and was once part of the channel that separated the island of Point Richmond with the mainland.[2] The stream is waterway is named after Don Víctor Castro the owner of the area when it was Rancho San Pablo. The Chevron Richmond Refinery dumps wastewater into the creek routinely 500 yards north of the confluence with Wildcat Creek and also in a drainage.[3] Other waste may only be dumped into the creek through a drainage ditch on Castro Street during high intensity rainfall.[3] Castro Creek is a fishing, shell-fishing, and recreation area.[3] Its estuarine habitat is essential habitat for several endangered species.[3] The creek is also a fish spawning and migration center.[3] The refinery creates 5.6 million US gallons (21,000 m3) per day of byproduct refinery process water, cooling water, storm water and other wastewater which it discharges into Castro Creek, Castro Cove, Wildcat Marsh, and San Pablo Bay.[3] Castro Cove has become very polluted from 85 years of unbridled discharge of waste waters with PAHs and mercury from the Chevron Oil Refinery and is scheduled to begin cleanup efforts in summer 2007.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Castro Creek
  2. ^ Map, TopoQuest, retrieved July 6, 2008
  3. ^ a b c d e f Monitoring Program Summary, California Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Inventory, retrieved August 31, 2007
  4. ^ Castro Cove/Chevron Richmond, CA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), retrieved August 1, 2007
River
Rivers, creeks, streams: Baxter Creek • Castro Creek • Cerrito Creek • Fluvius Innominatus • Garrity Creek • Meeker Slough (Creek) • Rheem Creek • San Pablo Creek • Wildcat Creek
Wetland
Wetlands, Marshes, mud flats, swamps, sloughs: Albany Mudflats • Breuner Marsh • Brooks Island Salt Marsh • Giant Marsh • Hoffman Marsh • Meeker Slough • Parchester Marsh • Point Molate Marsh • San Pablo Creek Marsh • Stege Marsh • Whitell Marsh • Wildcat Marsh
Lake
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Bay
Bays, habours, wharves, piers, ports, marinas, coves, channels: Brickyard Cove • Campus Bay • Castro Cove • Harbor Channel • Hoffman Channel • Kozy Kove • Lauritzen Canal • Point San Pablo Marina • Richmond Marina Bay • Marina Bay Marina • Parr-Rich Canal • Port of Richmond • Richmond Ferry Terminal • Richmond Inner Harbor • Richmond Outer Harbor • Richmond Rod & Gun Club Yacht Harbor • Richmond Yacht Club • Santa Fe Canal • Santa Rita Channel • Santa Fe Marina • San Pablo Canal • San Francisco Bay • San Pablo Bay • Westshore Marina
Land
Landmasses, Rocks, Islands, Valleys, Canyons, Gorges, Points, Peaks, Beaches, Ranges: Berkeley Hills • Brother Islands • Brooks Island • Castro Point • Castro Rocks • East Brother Lighthouse • Ferry Point • Kellar Beach • Kozy Kove • Richmond Long Wharf • Nicholl's Knob • Point Isabel • Point Molate • Point Pinole • Point San Pablo • Point Richmond Pier • Point Pinole Pier • Point Potrero • San Pablo Canyon • San Pablo Ridge • Wildcat Canyon