Tidal Mud Flats, and dredging for a future ferry
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 11 August 2010 — 9 comments below »
The tidal mud flats that stretch a significant distance into San Pablo Bay are the predominant reason bringing ferry service to Hercules is costly, both initially and with respect to channel maintenance over time. And this is never more evident than during low tide when the great expanse of mud flats are clearly visible…1
Current plans for a future ferry suggest that the landing would be offshore accessed by a pier (compared with the Larkspur landing which is essentially onshore within a dredged channel), however the proposed landing location is still within the mud flats. In fact, the landing would have to be pushed out a considerable distance further from what is currently drawn (approximately 1000 feet) to avoid the mud flats completely. And dredging would still be necessary in the shallow waters at that location.2
The extent of the mud flats can be seen on historical topographic maps (from 1959 below)…
As well as in aerial imagery (from June 2005 below, which must have been photographed during low tide)…
A ferry operating from Hercules, of course, is far off — 2014 at the earliest, and likely much more later than that (decades potentially). Funding for dredging efforts however, in the amount of $9m, has been included in our congressman’s request for appropriations in FY11. Rep. George Miller (D, CA-7) had also included the appropriations request in the 2010 WRDA. In any case, funds have not yet been appropriated.
- You can check the status of the mixed, predominantly semidiurnal tide levels of San Pablo Bay at the Refugio Landing tide station.↩
- The City is considering the use of hovercraft to reduce the cost of dredging. Hovercraft ferries are currently in use overseas but not in the U.S. The majority of ferries on the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays are catamaran vessels.↩
Let’s see ….. an expensive sound wall and now a huge dredging expense. Perhaps Rodeo was a better choice after all for the Intermodal Train Station.
There is a better train siding area in Rodeo and the distance for dredging would be half (660 feet) of what Hercules will need to dredge (1320 feet).
Check Goggle Earth for a more accurate distance.
@ Dan Thomson — The 1000 foot dimension I mentioned in the post was approximated with Google Earth.
It seems that Dan Thomson is a Rodeo resident. Seems like all his previous input have been negative towards Hercules and slanted towards Rodeo.
We are trying to build a better, more beautiful city. It is not an easy task that comes about quickly. We, as Herculeans can have a healthy debate on the solutions and results. This blog has been a good forum for these.
I am not a new “political junkie” …… been here 35 years ……. Just got tired of kicking an immovable object that seems bent on working towards a me direction instead of thinking regionally.
No expert, but as i understand it, the traditional single hull ferries would require significant dredging, but the faster, two and three hull types displace less water and thus can operate in shallower waters??
Has the council or staff updated the city on timeframes for the ferry?
Why is the timeframe so nebulous; “2014 or maybe decades”?
Sadly, I’m beginning to suspect the reality is NEVER.
The city has done nothing to indicate they are working on the Waterfront with any sense of urgency.
The focus seems to be entirely on Hilltown and the other Sycamore/San Pablo developments.
As if the city really needs MORE affordable housing; the city has already exceeded state affordable housing goals.
Yes, that is what the city manager is good at … building affordable housing is his claim to fame, but let’s get re-focused on WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT.
City needs to develop the Waterfront as a destination so people will have a reason to visit here and to move here, as opposed to just a place to move in order to avoid living in Vallejo or Richmond. That means expediting development of the Waterfront as we all envisioned when we moved to the Waterfront.
Why is the city holding up the process? What we’re hearing is that the city is once again putting up roadblocks to hinder Anderson Pacific’s efforts to build out the Waterfront pursuant to the plans we’ve all embraced. Why are we so willing to allow the city to flush our plans down the toilet? Who are they to decide our dream of a new urban, walkable Waterfront with restaurants and shops, and access to Sacramento and SF via train and ferry, should be relegated to the back burner? Or simply left to wither on the vine? I thought city officials worked for us.
Look we have a developer who is willing and able to proceed with the Waterfront development as we’ve generally agreed it should be. The ferry is THE critical component to making Hercules a destination. Seems that if $9M is spent for dredging but is not followed by a ferry until “2014 or maybe decades” then the proposed dredging effort is wasted. Council needs to PRIORITIZE this very important piece of the Waterfront development. Without it this town is just another exit off I-80.
Yep. Just another forlorn and boring “bedroom community” like all the others that dot the I-80 corridor. Most of us moved to the Waterfront because we thought this place would be more than that. We need city leaders who will remain faithful to that vision. People, the way it stands now, we’ve all been duped.
@ anonymous — The catamaran-type ferries require less dredging, but nevertheless dredging is still necessary — both initially, and with channel maintenance over time, similar to Larkspur (which spent $3.1m in 2006 clearing sediment from the channel) — and the length of required dredging is significant in Hercules’ case.
Lived in Hercules in 85, then bought a home in Rodeo. Upgraded to a Hercules home in the 90′s and have seen all the changes. I have seen the sleepy bedroom community without stoplights except in maybe two places. I lived here when we were calling ourselves the “Dynamic City” without me feeling dynamic. I have seen council elections where the council people had an easy time getting elected.
Gradually, more homes were built by Sunstream and Shea Homes. Council people had more vision and residents were getting more involved and proud to be from Hercules. Eventually, the residents wanted to have their own high school and library.
Today, in my humble opinion, the residents are more involved in the planning and different aspects of shaping Hercules. They want a more responsible local government. People want Hercules to be a destination. This shows the swelling pride and love for the community our families are living in. It all starts with the residents. I believe that this is what makes us different from the other towns or cities neighboring us. We want to constantly improve our city and our lives.
I know a lot of Herculeans are working hard for it. From envisioning a vibrant Sycamore downtown corridor, to the train station, to the ferry, to having cinemas in the new town center, to having “Big Dreams” ballparks, to annexing more land, to hotels and an arts center. With the right people in local government and a vigilant, involved citizenry, we will attain our goals. Thus, the fullfillment of our shared vision is what we can offer to ourselves and the region beyond us.
It is wise to consider an Amphibious type operation for Hercules, or any other water based city for that matter, as such service will require “NO” dredging, at all. Amphibious operations are 95% land based and with a vessel riding on a cushion of water, the environmental impact to the water is extremely minimal, and the infrastructure build out in the water is greatly reduced by many factors, which will save millions of dollars.