History

In July of 2001, the City of Pacifica received Proposition 13 Clean Beaches Initiative grant funding through the California State Water Resources Control Board. This funding was needed to facilitate the reduction of health risks associated with storm water and groundwater runoff contaminated by non-point source pollution in and around Linda Mar State Beach.

This became the San Pedro Creek Storm Drain Treatment/Diversion project. The specific locations targeted were the Linda Mar Pump Station, the Anza Pump Station and the San Pedro Creek Mouth. The primary objective for the city was to lessen the amount of non-point source, bacterial contamination (specifically coliform and E-coli) released into the Pacific Ocean via the Anza Pump Station, which exists at the lower third of Pacifica State Beach at Linda Mar. This project has successfully achieved a significant reduction of potential contamination sources as well as the improvement of fresh/brackish and salt water quality through the expansion of tidally-influenced wetlands, treatment wetlands and dune treatments swales.

The storm drain treatment/diversion project is a piece of the larger and greatly successful Pacifica Beach Master Plan/Flood Control Project. The City of Pacifica applied for and received funding from six different funding sources to construct the project: US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), California State Parks Department, San Mateo Community College District, California Coastal Conservancy, State Water Resources Control Board and CCAG. The project called for the cooperation between multiple city, state and federal agencies: USACE, California Coastal Conservancy, Coastal Commission, Department of Fish & Game, US Fish & Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, Bay Area Regional Water Quality Control Board, State Water Quality Control Board, California State Parks Department, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Pacifica Land Trust, San Mateo Community College District, Air Resources Board, San Mateo County, County Public Health Office, San Francisco State University, San Pedro Creek Watershed Coalition, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The main players in the project were the Coastal Commission, City of Pacifica, California Coastal Conservancy, California State Parks Department, USACE, State Water Resources Control Board, Power Engineering and Go Native.

This project encompassed the following elements: wetlands restoration both east and west of Highway one, construction of dune and wetland treatment swales, beach rehabilitation/sand replacement, dune restoration, construction of a segment of the “coastal trail” from Crespi Drive to San Pedro Terrace Road, elimination of multiple buildings at the San Pedro Creek Mouth to allow for the natural flow and movement of tidally influenced wetlands, excavation of man-made dumped materials collected at the creek mouth over the last 70 years, exterior renovation of the Pacifica State Beach bathrooms at the center point of the beach including new outside showers, renovation of the Anza pump station, addition of two bathrooms at the south end of the beach including outside showers, installation of community-based art projects with an ocean/environmental focus located at the bathrooms (changing rooms) and Anza Pump Station (west facing wall), renovation of north parking lot at Pacifica State Beach, construction of a new parking lot at the south end of the beach and removal of non-native invasive plant species at the dunes and the tidally influenced wetlands. Pacifica has also taken part in multiple, annual volunteer plantings that have occurred at the Pacifica State Beach dunes. As of 2003, the planting occurred on the newly replaced dunes/habitat which exists between the Crespi Drive crossing and the north parking lot’s north beach entry bordered by the coastal trail/dune swales.

The final piece of the project involves the convalescent home sewer replacement that is currently under construction and is being funded by SWRCB/Proposition 40 funds, which were secured in 2003 for the beach master plan/flood control project. This final portion of the city’s massive redesign and protection of its watershed and coastal resources will complete this particular grant's goal: the elimination at a great level of the non-point source pollution that reaches the creek mouth and ultimately the ocean, as well as the protection of protected and endangered species (both plant and animal) that reside in Pacifica's wetland and watershed areas.

Project Goals

The San Pedro Creek Storm Drain Treatment/Diversion Project funded by Proposition 13 via the California State Water Resources Control Board has achieved its project goal: redirection of non-point source pollution via diversion of storm runoff from first flush release into the ocean (at Linda Mar and Anza Pump Stations) to two areas of fully functioning treatment wetlands.

The first of the two treatment areas is the treatment swales associated with the Anza Storm Drain Pump Station located along the highway north of Taco Bell extending to Crespi Drive. The second location is at the Linda Mar Storm Drainage Pump station, where water is pumped from the Linda Mar wet well into a storm water treatment swale that surrounds the pump station. Another feature links both the Linda Mar and Anza Pump Station wet wells together, so diversion flows from both drainage sheds can go to either and/or both of the treatment wetlands. Water that would normally be discharged on the beach is pumped into a treatment swale from this pump station wet well and thus diverted from a beach discharge during low flow and first flush situations.

Goals Achieved

• Complete diversion in the dry periods and partial diversion in the wet months
• Improved water quality at Pacifica State Beach and in San Pedro Creek to ensure that California bacteriological standards are met