GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 378 WATER RESOURCES OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fred A. Seaton, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 378 WATER RESOURCES OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA By H. F. Matthai, William Back, R. P. Orth, and Robert Brennan Washington, D. C. 1957 Free on application to the Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C. PREFACE This report is one of a series concerning the water Upson (in preparation), and Thomasson, Olmsted, and resources of selected industrial areas of national im­ Leroux (in preparation) were used extensively in writing portance, and has been prepared at the request of and the sections on ground water and geology for the areas in consultation with the Water and Sewerage Industry north of the bays. and Utilities Division of the Business and Defense Services Administration of the Department of Com­ Many persons and organizations contributed inform­ merce. This series is designed to provide information ation used in this report. Special acknowledgment is for national defense planning and at the same time to due the State Division of Water Resources of the render valuable service to business and industry in Department of Public vVorks and the State Water Re­ their development of water resources for present and sources Board. The sections on ground water and geol­ future use. These reports are prepared under the di­ ogy of the Alameda plain and Livermore Valley were rection of J. B. Graham and K. A. MacKichan. The written with information furnished by A. J. Dolcini and present report was prepared by H. F. Matthai, hydrau­ R. T. Bean, of California Division of Water Resources. lic engineer, under the supervision of H. M. Stafford, The report on geology and water resources of Santa engineer-in-charge, Sacramento, Calif., and R. C. Clara Valley, in preparation, under the direction of Briggs, district engineer (Surface Water Branch); by J. M. Haley and T. P. Wootton, was used for the Santa William Back, geologist, under the supervision of Clara Valley section of this report. The authors also F. H. Olmsted and J. F. Poland, district geologists wish to acknowledge the courtsey and cooperation of the (Ground Water Branch); and by R. P. Orth and Robert following agencies: San Francisco Water Department, Brennan, chemists, under the supervision of I. W. San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, East Bay Walling, district chemist of the Quality of Water Branch. Municipal Utility District, Santa Clara Valley Water Much of the data summarized here has been collected Conservation District, California Water Service during many years by the y. S. Geological Survey, in co­ Company, City of Vallejo, Marin Municipal Water Dis­ operation with Federal, State, and local agencies, or has trict, counties of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, been furnished by the California Division of Water Re­ Napa, and Sonoma, the U. S. Weather Bureau, and the sources. The reports by Cardwell (1955), Kunkel and U. S. Bureau of Reclamation. II CONTENTS Page Page Abstract...................................... 1 Water supply of subareas Continued Introduction................................... 2 Alameda County Continued Location and extent.......................... 2 Surface Water............................. 27 Topography................................. 2 Alameda Creek.......................... 27 Importance of area .......................... 2 Discharge ............................ 27 Population................................ 2 Quality............................... 27 Industry.................................. 2 San Lorenzo Creek ...................... 29 Mineral resources......................... 2 Discharge ............................ 29 Climate .................................... 2 Quality............................... 29 Occurrence of water ........................... 4 San Leandro Creek....................... 29 Ground water ............................... 6 Western Contra Costa County................. 29 Primary aquifer........................... 6 Ground water ............................. 30 Secondary aquifer ......................... 6 Surface water............................. 30 Essentially non-water-bearing rocks ........ 8 Walnut Creek ........................... 30 Fluctuation of water levels ................. 8 Discharge ............................ 30 Recharge................................. 8 Quality............................... 30 Natural recharge ........................ 8 San Pablo Creek......................... 30 Artificial recharge ...................... 8 Pinole Creek............................ 31 Discharge ................................ 10 Suisun-Fairfield area. ....................... 31 Overdraft................................. 11 Ground water. ............................. 31 Ground-water storage capacity.............. 11 Yield and depth of wells .................. 31 Surface water............................... 11 Water-level fluctuations. ................. 31 San Francisco Bay system. ................. 11 Pumpage ............................... 31 Records of streamflow..................... 11 Quality................................. 31 Floods.................................... 12 Surface water............................. 31 Significance of the chemical and physical Napa Valley. ................................ 32 characteristics of water.................. 13 Ground water ............................. 32 Water supply of subareas....................... 14 Yield and depth of wells.................. 32 San Mateo County............................ 14 Water-level fluctuations.................. 32 Surface water............................. 14 Pumpage ............................... 32 Discharge .............................. 14 Quality................................. 33 Quality................................. 14 Surface water............................. 33 Santa Clara Valley........................... 20 Napa River ............................. 33 Ground water ............................. 20 Discharge ............................ 33 Yield and depth of wells .................. 20 Quality............................... 33 Water-level fluctuation .................. 20 Sonoma Valley .............................. 33 Pumpage ............................... 20 Ground water.............................. 35 Salt-water encroachment................. 20 Water-level fluctuations.................. 35 Land-surface subsidence................. 20 Yield and depth of wells .................. 35 Quality................................. 20 Pumpage ............................... 35 Surface Water............................. 24 Quality................................. 35 Guadalupe River......................... 24 Surface water............................. 36 Discharge ............................ 24 Petaluma Valley............................. 36 Quality................................. 24 Ground water.............................. 36 Coyote Creek ........................... 24 Yield and depth of wells .................. 36 Discharge ............................ 24 Water-level fluctuations.................. 36 Quality ................................ 24 Pumpage ............................... 36 Other streams .......................... 24 Quality................................. 37 Artificial recharge ........................ 24 Surface water............................. 37 Alameda County............................. 25 Petaluma Creek.. ........'............... 37 Ground Water............................. 25 Discharge ............................ 37 Livermore Valley ....................... 25 Quality............................... 37 Yield and depth of wells ................ 25 Novato Creek ........................... 37 Water-level fluctuations................ 25 Discharge ............................ 37 Pumpage ............................. 25 Quality............................... 39 Quality............................... 26 Southern Marin County( ....................... 39 Sunol and Castro Valleys ................. 26 Surface water............................. 39 Alameda Plain .......................... 26 Corte Madera Creek ..................... 39 Water-level fluctuations................ 26 Arroyo Nicasio.......................... 39 Pumpage ............................. 26 Imported water................................ 39 Quality............................... 27 Hetch Hetchy system......................... 39 III CONTENTS Page Page Imported water Continued Water use.................................... 49 Mokelumne system.......................... 40 Urban use.................................. 49 Contra Costa Canal ......................... 40 Industrial use .............................. 50 Cache Slough System ........................ 41 Irrigation.................................. 51 Public water supply systems ................... 41 Surface water ............................ 51 San Francisco Water Department............. 42 Ground water............................. 51 San Jose Water Works....................... 42 Changes in water East Bay Municipal Utility District ........... 45 quality with use........................ 51 Cities of Pittsburg and Martinez and Potentialities................................. 51 California Water Service Co.. ............ 47 Local supplies.............................. 52 Vallejo Water Supply System................. 47 Imported supplies. .........................