Pinole Creek Restoration Progresses
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 24 August 2010 — 4 comments below »
The restoration of Pinole Creek continues unabated, providing a sign of constructive life, however meager, along the San Pablo Bay shore.
The geotextile fence has not only retarded the flow of sediment into the creek, it has all but stopped water in the opposite direction. (The elevation of the creek water surface is greater than that of the surrounding clay soil.)
The sun sets, yet the RV storage site persists as an eyesore for the surrounding community. (The land could be redeveloped as townhouses and apartments, and the City of Pinole has pursued its purchase in the past, ultimately to no avail.)
Steel sheet piles are temporarily stacked on-site and will be installed to improve the global stability of the creek channel (either for the duration of construction or as a long-term preventative measure; I am not familiar with the design).
Thank you kindly Jeff for this timely report. I thank all who have participated in Pinole Creek Restoration community advocacy, it’s vital volunteer impact, guidance and all-around outstanding stewardship. All members make me very proud to be your neighbor. And, I’m looking forward to the next Work or Clean-Up Day. Just whistle.
Best regards from Steve Hathaway and myself, Promenade & Park St.
some people enjoy having a local place to store their RVs. these are blue collar towns with blue collar pastimes, no need to trample over those pastimes or their affiliated buildings.
@ Anonymous — Ok, but the current location of the RV storage facility fails to take advantage of the inherent value of the property, i.e., the facility should not be located on the waterfront. As it currently stands, the inability of the City of Pinole to purchase and redevelop the property, despite their efforts to do so, perpetuates the blight the facility creates. An RV storage facility would be better located inland, if only to reduce the potential of contaminated surface runoff further polluting the adjacent Pinole Creek and San Pablo Bay.
The subject of decommissioning the plant and going to West County was the subject of debate and discussion in Pinole over the last few years. The prevailing opinion was that the cost of doing so was prohibitive. It seems a shame as the waterfront area the treatment plant sits on could be a real asset. But in the current economic climate there is little hope this will happen.
The RV lot is an eyesore but the owner will not sell.