In 1998, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Water Board listed Pescadero Creek as being impaired by excess sediment, which adversely affects native fish habitat, including threatened coho salmon and steelhead trout. The Dark Gulch Stream Crossing Repair Project will improve habitat conditions in the Pescadero Creek Watershed by reducing sediment running off part of Old Haul Road.
Every year the Old Haul Road crossing at Dark Gulch Creek sheds an estimated 600 cubic yards of soil into the creek, which feeds into Pescadero Creek 100 yards downstream. The site is in risk of complete collapse, which would add as much as 37,000 cubic yards of soil to the Pescadero Creek network, significantly damaging the downstream channel, streamside habitat, downstream native fish and wildlife, and possibly bridges and other structures, as well. Such a collapse would also result in the loss of a critical piece of infrastructure, Old Haul Road, which is used for emergency response, fire-fighting, and recreation.
This project will remove the eroding crossing and collapsed box culvert, and build a stable crossing in its place, with drainage features that will prevent future erosion.
Park visitors, for your own safety please adhere to trail signage and closures and not enter the project work area.
This project is being completed in partnership with the County and the San Mateo Resource Conservation District. It is funded in part by the County and the State Water Resources Control Board.
Update - Due to the CZU fire, the project, originally projected to be finished by October 15, 2020, will now end in early November 2020.
Learn more in the San Mateo Resource Conservation District project description attached below.