Arastradero Creek Restoration and Pipeline Relocation

In March 2023, the City was informed of an exposed eight-inch diameter steel gas pipeline in the Arastradero Creek in the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve. The City received approval from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) under an emergency permit to conduct a temporary creek stabilization project to protect the gas pipeline from damage caused by future storms. As part of the project, the City installed a combination of cobbles and boulder revetments in the eroded channel bed to protect the gas pipeline and prevent the upstream potable water transmission and sewer pipelines from being exposed. The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) is requiring the City to address a six-foot headcut that resulted in the need for the emergency repair and remove all temporary fill placed under the USACE emergency permit. Therefore, the purpose of the Project is to comply with the RWQCB’s permit conditions by restoring a portion of Arastradero Creek and relocating the existing water and wastewater utilities in Arastradero Trail and the gas utility further underneath the creek. In addition, downstream of the emergency repair would be treated with woody material to encourage natural processes to deposit sediment, widen the incised sections of creek, and prevent further potential for headcut formation. The Project also proposes minor grading to Arastradero Trail, which runs along the left bank of the creek, to return functionality to an existing culvert, reducing sedimentation into the creek, and improve trail conditions.