Castro Cove
Encyclopedia
Castro Cove is an embayment of the San Pablo Bay
in Richmond, California
between Point San Pablo
and the confluence of Wildcat Creek
into Castro Creek
.
, and intertidal salt marsh owned by Chevron USA. The cove forms an important estuarine environmental resource for San Francisco Bay. It is the home of many endangered species including the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse
, Clapper Rail
, Steelhead, and Olympia Oyster
. Other benthic invertebrates, mammals, fish, and birds also live in the habitat; all the animals may have been injured by the contamination whether endangered of least concern
.
located at the south end of the inlet dumps 5.6 millions (21,938 liters) of gallons of treated industrial use waters into the Cove, Castro Creek and San Pablo Bay daily. From 1902 until 1987 the refinery released various contaminants from its water usage and other run-offs which terribly contaminated the Bay muds of the cove. In 1998 the California Regional Water Quality Control Board began to catalyst cleanup of the site and pressured Chevron. The water board used the authority of the Bay Protection and Toxic Clean-up Program to have Chevron make a sediment characterization work plan in 1998. Years of discharge or polluted water left the cove with high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and mercury contamination
.
(CEQA)-mandated mitigated negative declaration was completed and a corrective action plan has been designed. The plan which comes with a natural resource damage assessment will quarten off the AOC with a steel sheet pile and have the contaminated muds and sediment dredged and pumped into a disused treatment pond. In that treatment pond the toxic waste will be dried and then neutralized with a stabilizing agent like fly ash or cement. The inactive pond will at that time be regraded and capped with vegetation. The resportation project is scheduled for the summer of 2007. Castro Cove is named after Don Víctor Castro.
San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in northern California in the United States. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water channel approximately in mid bay, which allows access to Sacramento, Stockton, Benicia, Martinez, and...
in Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
between Point San Pablo
Point San Pablo
Point San Pablo is a small historic community isolated at the far end of the Potrero Hills at Point San Pablo in Richmond, California.-Overview:...
and the confluence of Wildcat Creek
Wildcat Creek
Wildcat Creek may refer to:* Wildcat Creek * Wildcat Creek * Wildcat Creek * Wildcat Creek...
into Castro Creek
Castro Creek
Castro Creek is a creek in Richmond, California in the western part of the city adjacent to the Chevron Oil Refinery. Wildcat Creek drains into it directly and though other Wildcat Marsh tributaries into Castro Cove of San Pablo Bay...
.
Overview
The cove is made up of mudflats, bay mudBay mud
Bay mud consists of thick deposits of soft, unconsolidated silty clay, which is saturated with water; these soil layers are situated at the bottom of certain estuaries, which are normally in temperate regions that have experienced cyclical glacial cycles...
, and intertidal salt marsh owned by Chevron USA. The cove forms an important estuarine environmental resource for San Francisco Bay. It is the home of many endangered species including the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse
Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse
The Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse , also known as the Red-bellied Harvest Mouse and some times called by Saltmarsh Harvest Mouse, is an endangered rodent endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area salt marshes in California. There are two distinct subspecies, both endangered and listed together on federal...
, Clapper Rail
Clapper Rail
The Clapper Rail is a member of the rail family, Rallidae. Some researchers believe that this bird and the similar King Rail are a single species; the two birds are known to interbreed.-Distribution and habitat:...
, Steelhead, and Olympia Oyster
Olympia oyster
The Olympia oyster, Ostreola conchaphila, is the native oyster of the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico. The name is derived from the important 19th century oyster industry near Olympia, Washington, in Puget Sound....
. Other benthic invertebrates, mammals, fish, and birds also live in the habitat; all the animals may have been injured by the contamination whether endangered of least concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
.
Pollution
The cove is also a recreational, fishing, boating, and shellfishing area. The Richmond Rod & Gun Club Yacht Harbor is located on the western coast of the cove. The Chevron Richmond RefineryChevron Richmond Refinery
The Chevron Richmond Refinery is a petroleum refinery in Richmond, California, on San Francisco Bay. It is owned and operated by Chevron Corporation and employs more than 1,200 workers, making it the city's largest employer. The refinery processes approximately of crude oil a day in the...
located at the south end of the inlet dumps 5.6 millions (21,938 liters) of gallons of treated industrial use waters into the Cove, Castro Creek and San Pablo Bay daily. From 1902 until 1987 the refinery released various contaminants from its water usage and other run-offs which terribly contaminated the Bay muds of the cove. In 1998 the California Regional Water Quality Control Board began to catalyst cleanup of the site and pressured Chevron. The water board used the authority of the Bay Protection and Toxic Clean-up Program to have Chevron make a sediment characterization work plan in 1998. Years of discharge or polluted water left the cove with high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and mercury contamination
Mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is a disease caused by exposure to mercury or its compounds. Mercury is a heavy metal occurring in several forms, all of which can produce toxic effects in high enough doses...
.
Cleanup
Between 1999 and 2001 benthic toxicity tests found PAHs and mercury levels at up to 507 mg/kg and 13 mg/kg respectively at this site and a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) portion was designated as an area of concern (AOC). The worst contaminated, AOC is adjacent to the former wastewater outfall which has now been relocated into San Pablo Bay. A California Environmental Quality ActCalifornia Environmental Quality Act
The California Environmental Quality Act is a California statute passed in 1970, shortly after the United States federal government passed the National Environmental Policy Act , to institute a statewide policy of environmental protection...
(CEQA)-mandated mitigated negative declaration was completed and a corrective action plan has been designed. The plan which comes with a natural resource damage assessment will quarten off the AOC with a steel sheet pile and have the contaminated muds and sediment dredged and pumped into a disused treatment pond. In that treatment pond the toxic waste will be dried and then neutralized with a stabilizing agent like fly ash or cement. The inactive pond will at that time be regraded and capped with vegetation. The resportation project is scheduled for the summer of 2007. Castro Cove is named after Don Víctor Castro.