Sediment Accumulation in San Leandro Bay, Alameda County
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SEDIMENT ACCUMULATION IN SAN LEANDRO BAY, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, DURING THE 20th CENTURY A PRELIMINARY REPORT by K.M. Nolan and C.C. Fuller U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 86-4057 Prepared in cooperation with the ALAMEDA COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT o i O CO Sacramento, California August 1986 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL HODEL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information Copies of this report write to: may be purchased from: District Chief Open-File Services Section U.S. Geological Survey Western Distribution Branch Federal Building, Room W-2234 U.S. Geological Survey 2800 Cottage Way Box 25425, Federal Center Sacramento, CA 95825 Denver, CO 80225 Telephone: (303) 236-7476 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract ................. 1 Results of investigation ....... 9 Introduction.............. 2 Isotope studies .............. 9 Description of study area 2 Bathymetric surveys ........ 15 Previous studies.......... 5 Discussion of results .......... 17 San Leandro Bay....... 5 Sedimentation rates and San Francisco Bay .... 5 submergence .............. 17 Study methods .......... 6 Effects of changes in bay Isotope studies ........ 6 configuration .............. 19 Lead-210 ............ 6 Sediment sources ............ 20 Cesium-137 .......... 8 Evidence from isotope Field methods ....... 8 studies.................. 22 Analytical methods .. 9 Summary and additional studies 23 Bathymetric surveys .. 9 References cited .............. 24 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figures 1-3. Maps showing: 1. Location of San Leandro Bay and nearby drainage basins ................................ 2. Location of San Leandro Bay ..................... 3. Location of cores analyzed for radioisotopes and location of cross profiles used in bathymetric comparison ..................................... 10 4. Graphs showing plot of lead-210, radium-226, and cesium-137 activity versus depth for cores SLB01, SLB05, SLB08, and SLB09 ....................... 12 5. Map showing water depths below mean lower-low water in San Leandro Bay in 1856 and 1983 ............... 16 6. Graphs showing examples of postdredging and 1983 cross profiles at the mouth of San Leandro Creek .. 18 7. Graph snowing cross product of wind direction and frequency at the Oakland International Airport .... 20 TABLES Page Table 1. Summary of radioisotope data from San Leandro Bay sediment cores ................................... 11 2. Sedimentation in channel dredged at mouth of San Leandro Creek, September 1948 to August 1983 .. 17 3. Total sediment yield for Cull Creek................. 21 4. Size distribution of sediment in core SLB06 ........ 22 Contents 111 CONVERSION FACTORS The metric system of units is used in this report. For readers who prefer inch-pound units, the conversion factors for the terms used in this report are listed below. Metric (SI) Multiply by Inch-pound cm (centimeter) 0.03280 feet cm/a (centimeter per annum) 0.03280 feet per annum cm 3 (cubic centimeter) 0.00003531 cubic feet cm 3 /g (cubic centimeter 0.001602 cubic feet per gram) per pound dpm/a (disintegrations per minute per annum) g (gram) 0.002204 pounds g/cm 2 (grams per square 2.047 pounds per square centimeter) feet (g/cm 2 )/a (grams per square 2.047 pounds per square centimeter per annum) feet per annum g/cm 3 (grams per cubic 62.46 pounds per cubic centimeter) feet hm (hectometer) 2.471 acres km 2 (square kilometer) 0.3861 square miles m (meter) 3.281 feet m 3 (cubic meter) 1.308 vcubic yards Mg (megagram) 1.102 tons Mg/a (megagram per annum) 1.102 tons per annum Mg/km 2 (megagram per 2.855 tons per square square kilometer) miles mm (millimeter) 0.03937 inches pCi/g (picocuries per gram) 0.002204 picocuries per pound IV Conversion Factors SEDIMENT ACCUMULATION IN SAN LEANDRO BAY, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, DURING THE 20th CENTURY: A PRELIMINARY REPORT by K.M. Nolan and C.C. Fuller ABSTRACT Major changes made in the con range in sedimentation rates would re figuration of San Leandro Bay, Alameda quire measuring the activity of lead-210 County, California, during the 20th on incoming sediments. century have caused rapid sedimentation In addition to sediment deposited in within parts of the bay. Opening of the the vicinity of the San Leandro Bay Oakland tidal channel and removal of 97 channel and open, shallow areas to the percent of the marshlands formerly east, 850,740 cubic meters of sediment surrounding the bay have decreased tid was deposited between 1948 and 1983 in al velocities and volumes. Marshland re an area dredged at the mouth of San moval has decreased the tidal prism by Leandro Creek. All available data indi about 25 percent. Comparison of cate that between 1,213,000 and bathymetric surveys indicates that sedi 1,364,000 cubic meters of sediment was mentation in the vicinity of the San deposited in San Leandro Bay between Leandro Bay channel averaged 0.7 centi 1948 and 1983. meter per annum between 1856 and 1984. Sediment-yield data from an adjacent Lead-210 data collected at four shallow drainage basin, when combined with in water sites east of the San Leandro Bay ventories of lead-210 and cesium-137, channel indicate that sedimentation rates indicate that most of the sediment depos have averaged between 0.06 and 0.28 ited in San Leandro Bay is coming from centimeter per annum. Because biotur- resuspension of bottom sediments or from bation of bottom sediments cannot be erosion of marshes or shorelines of San discounted, better definition of this Leandro or San Francisco Bay. Abstract 1 INTRODUCTION the bay, manmade changes in bay con figuration, and the potential for direct input of sediment from upland drainages. San Leandro Bay is a small shallow arm of southern San Francisco Bay near Oak land, Alameda County, California (figs. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA 1 and 2). Configuration of this bay, as well as that of the surrounding San Leandro Bay covers about 2.59 marshes and mudflats, has changed km 2 and averages only 1.6 m deep at greatly since the early 1900's. The mean tide level. At mean lower-low hydrographic survey of 1896 depicted water, extensive mudflats are exposed, San Leandro Bay as a shallow body of and open water is limited to about 15 water surrounded by marshes and percent of the bay. Nearly all parts of mudflats and connected to San Francisco San Leandro Bay deeper than 0.9 m at Bay by the San Leandro Bay channel. mean higher-high water have been In 1902, the Oakland tidal channel was dredged. Dredging was concentrated in dredged to connect San Leandro Bay three areas: the Oakland tidal channel, with the Oakland Harbor. By 1972, the Airport Channel, and a distinct rec iandfilling had decreased marshland and tangular area at the mouth of San associated mudflats adjacent to the bay Leandro Channel (fig. 2). The Airport by more than 96 percent from about 810 Channel was dredged in 1928 to provide hm in 1922 to 28.4 hm by 1977 (U.S. docking facilities for the U.S. Navy Army Corps of Engineers, 1980). Supply Center (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1980). The area at the mouth The Alameda County Flood Control and of San Leandro Channel was dredged to Water Conservation District is concerned a depth of 10.7 m in 1948 and was in that recent changes in the configuration tended as a docking area for deep-water of the bay have increased sedimentation ships. rates and that this sedimentation has de creased the capacity of flood-control Streamflow enters San Leandro Bay channels draining into San Leandro Bay. through four major channels: East This report was prepared in cooperation Creek, Damon, Elmhurst, and San with the Alameda County Flood Control Leandro. According to the U.S. Army and Water Conservation District to pro Corps of Engineers (1980), the East vide a preliminary assessment of rates Creek channel drains 14.5 km 2 and and causes of sedimentation in San Streamflow is from Courtland, Peralta, Leandro Bay. Sediment-accumulation rates and Seminary Creeks; Damon Channel were estimated by comparing bathymetric drains 26.4 km 2 and Streamflow is from surveys made in 1856 and 1984, and by Lion Creek and Arroyo Viejo; and the measuring the activity of the isotopes Elmhurst and San Leandro Channels lead-210 and cesium-137 in four sediment drain 6.0 and 124 km 2 , respectively, and cores taken from the bay. Sediment Streamflow is from Elmhurst and San accumulation between 1948 and 1983 in Leandro Creeks (figs. 1 and 2). an area dredged at the mouth of San Leandro Channel was determined by The drainage basins of all streams comparing bathymetric data from 1948 draining into San Leandro Bay contain with data collected in 1983. The causes large areas of gently sloping urban, of sedimentation were assessed by com suburban, and industrial land. The paring excess lead-210 and cesium-137 headwaters of Arroyo Viejo and San activity with fallout of these isotopes on Leandro Creek drain steep nonurbanized the bay surface and by interpreting land. Flow in the upper 11.1 km 2 of the sedimentation rates within San Leandro San Leandro Creek drainage basin is Bay in light of the physical processes controlled by reservoirs operated by the controlling sediment deposition within East Bay Municipal Utilities District. 2 Sediment, San Leandro Bay, CA 37°45 122° 15' EXPLANATION Loe Angeles - DRAINAGE DIVIDE O 5* San Diego 5*r+ 3 2 KILOMETERS -hO LOCATION MAP I in aC 37'45' 122°15' -» FIGURE 1.- Location of San Leandro Bay and nearby drainage basins. 0) 122°12'30" 37°45' U.S. Highway 17 To Oakland Airport (1.5 km) 122° N 12' 30" 500 METERS I 37°45' FIGURE 2.- Location of San Leandro Bay, Circulation of water within San San Leandro Bay occurred for 7 hours Leandro Bay with water in San Francisco through the Oakland tidal channel but Bay is limited to flow through the Oak for only 3.5 to 4 hours through the San land tidal and San Leandro Bay chan Leandro Bay channel.