Butano Creek Cross Sections

Survey Report

January 9, 2002

Prepared by
Environmental Science Associates and
Dennis Jackson, Consulting Hydrologist

for:

California Department of Parks and Recreation

Bay Area District
250 Executive Park Blvd. Suite 4900
San Francisco, CA 94134

8950 Cal Center Drive, Bldg 3, Suite 300 225 Bush Street, Suite 1700 2685 Ulmerton Road, Suite 102
Sacramento, California 95826 San Francisco, California 94104 Clearwater, Florida 33762
(916) 564-4500 (415) 896-5900 (727) 572-5226

1000 Broadway, Suite 410 4221 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 480 700 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4120
Oakland, California 94607 Los Angeles, California 90010 Seattle, Washington 98104
(510) 839-5066 (323) 933-6111 (206) 206-0900
BUTANO CREEK CROSS SECTIONS
SURVEY REPORT

This report describes the findings of a survey that Environmental Science Associates and
Dennis Jackson, Consulting Hydrologist, conducted in Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve in the
fall of 2001 for the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The survey covered the
lower portion of Butano Creek, just above its confluence with Pescadero Creek, and included
measurement of seven cross sections of Butano Creek and one tributary channel. These same
cross sections were established in 1987, and were among 33 cross sections throughout the marsh
surveyed by Phillip Williams Associates (PWA) and Swanson Hydrology (PWA, 1987). The
results of our survey are compared to those of the earlier survey to indicate changes in channel
morphology that occurred in the intervening 14 years between surveys. This report also provides
interpretation of the findings, with a focus on changes that may be ascribed, at least in part, to the
restoration and enhancement work performed in the marsh during the 1990s.

METHODS
The first step in the survey was to locate the cross sections surveyed in 1987. The 1987 PWA
report includes a large scale contour map of the marsh, with locations of the cross sections
indicated on the contour map. We estimated the state-plane coordinates of the cross section
endpoints with a ruler from the contour map, then translated these into UTM coordinates and
loaded them into a small Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. With this information, we were
able to get within about fifty feet of each cross section endpoint. We then made a visual search to
locate the metal T-posts that were used to mark the cross section endpoints in 1987. The UTM
coordinates for the cross sections surveyed in 2001 are in the appendix. UTM coordinates for the
Pescadero Creek cross sections and the vegetation transects are also located in Appendix A.

At most of the cross sections, we found only one T-post. We used the state-plane coordinates to
estimate the compass bearing between the end points to locate the approximate position of the
missing T-post. We installed new T-posts at these positions. We then stretched a tape between
the endpoints. We read the distance along the cross section from the tape and determined the
elevation by reading a surveying rod with an auto-level. The survey was extended from one cross
section to the next, then closed back to the starting point, in order to ensure continuity of
elevations and as a means of quality control. We entered all survey data into an Excel
spreadsheet, along with the survey data from 1987, and constructed graphs comparing the 1987
and 2001 surveys, which appear at the end of this report.

During the first two days of the 2001 survey (November 7 and 9) the sandbar that forms
seasonally at the mouth of Pescadero Creek was still in place, and the water surface in the marsh
was at 5.77 feet above sea level. Soon afterward, high stream flows caused the bar to breach.

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When we completed the survey on November 20, 2001 the water surface had dropped to 3.85 feet
above sea level. Over the course of the day on November 20, the water level in the marsh did not
appear to fluctuate, so we assumed that the bar had again closed after the storm, though we did
not observe the conditions at the mouth of the Creek.

We observed two tidal staffs on November 9, 2001, one near the Phipps tide gate close to BM-5,
and the other at the boat launch off of Pescadero Road. We have provided a map at the end of this
report showing the locations of tidal staffs from 1987, updated to show the locations of the staffs
we observed in 2001. Both of the tidal staffs found on November 9 indicated the same water
level of 15.94 feet.

On the first field day of the survey, when we located the positions of the cross sections, we waded
and floated from the Pescadero Road bridge down Butano Creek to its confluence with Pescadero
Creek. We did not observe any beaver dams on this section of Butano Creek, though we did see
several trees and limbs that had been felled, apparently by beavers. We did not observe any
obstructions or features that might prevent migration of anadromous fish. On subsequent days in
the field we did observe one possible beaver slide in Middle Butano Marsh.

DISCUSSION OF THE CROSS SECTIONS

We completed re-surveys of seven cross sections on Butano Creek in 2001. One of the cross
sections (#31) was across the mouth of a tidal distributary channel. The cross sections are
discussed in downstream order.

Cross Section 12
Cross section 12 is the most upstream cross section surveyed on Butano Creek in 2001, and is
located about 3,200 feet downstream of the Pescadero Road Bridge. We could not locate the left-
bank T-post, and GPS readings indicated that the T-post may be under a thick berry patch. Parks
and Recreation staff asked us to keep vegetation removal to a minimum and there was limited
time available for the survey. Therefore, we did not make an extensive search for the 1987 left-
bank T-post. We located the right-bank T-post, and used the compass bearing calculated from the
1987 survey to identify the direction of the cross section. A new T-post was installed on the left-
bank of the main channel. A thick wall of berries prevented moving further in the direction of the
1987 survey.

The 1987 survey shows a point to the right of the right-bank T-post that is about four feet higher
than the 2001 survey. It is assumed that this point was on the levee that was removed in 1997. It
appears, therefore, that over-bank floods are no longer constrained by the former levee. However,
as the graph of Cross section 12 indicates, the main channel area decreased between 1987 and
2001, and elevation of the thalweg (the low flow channel) is higher than it was in 1987.

Cross Section 11
Cross section 11 is about 1,500 feet downstream of cross section 12 and 4,700 feet downstream of
the Pescadero Road Bridge. The right-bank T-post appears to have been destroyed during a levee

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removal project completed in 1997 (Swanson, 2001). The base of the removed levee is clearly
visible in the center of the graph of cross section 11. We found the left-bank T-post under an
alder tree as described in the 1987 survey. The calculated compass bearing was used to set the
direction of the 2001 survey.

In contrast to cross section 12, the thalweg at cross section 11 has lowered about one foot since
1987 and overall the capacity of the main channel at cross section 11 has increased since 1987.
There is a small amount of deposition on the left bank between 35-50 feet along the cross section.
The left bank deposition is at the edge of the reeds along the main channel. The left bank
deposition may represent the construction of a "floodplain" relative to the tidal action in the
marsh.

Cross Section 19
Cross section 19 is about 250 feet downstream of cross section 11 and 4,950 feet downstream of
the Pescadero Road Bridge. We found the 1987 right-bank T-post; the 1987 survey did not use a
marker at the left-bank end of the cross section, but rather ended at the left edge of water. We
used the calculated compass bearing to guide the 2001 survey at cross section 19, and continued
the survey to the top of the left-bank levee. We used a piece of rebar to mark the cross section
endpoint.

The thalweg at cross section 19 has also lowered about one foot since 1987. The increase in depth
in the main part of the channel is partially offset by deposition along the left bank. Like cross
section 11, there is a bench at the edge of the reeds.

Cross Section 31
Cross section 31 is across the mouth of a tidal distributary. The left-bank T-post of cross section
31 is about 35 feet from the right-bank T-post of cross section 19. The right-bank has eroded
about 2.5 feet since 1987. The thalweg is about at the same elevation as in 1987.

Cross Section 10
Cross section 10 is about 1,000 feet downstream of cross section 19 and about 5,950 feet
downstream of the Pescadero Road Bridge. We found neither the left-bank nor the right-bank
T-posts at cross section 10. However, we did find an old red T-post on the levee at the location of
a similarly described post in the 1987 survey. The GPS readings indicated that the 1987 left-bank
post was within 50 feet of the old red post. The surveyed distance between the missing left bank
post and the found post is 15 feet. We used the calculated compass bearing to guide the direction
of the 2001 survey, and installed a new right-bank T-post about 20 feet further along the cross
section from its 1987 location.

The graph of cross section 10 shows no significant change since 1987. It is possible that scour
and fill has occurred over the cross section. If so, a cycle of scour may have been responsible for
the loss of the right-bank T-post, while a subsequent period of fill may have returned the ground
surface to approximately the same level it was in 1987.

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Cross Section 9
Cross section 9 is about 450 feet downstream of cross section 10 and about 6,400 feet
downstream of the Pescadero Road Bridge. We found the 1987 left bank T-post on the levee, but
did not find the right-bank T-post. We used the calculated compass bearing to guide the direction
of the 2001 survey, and we used a new T-post to mark the right end of the cross section. The new
cross section is about 50 feet longer than the 1987 cross section.

The graph of cross section 9 shows that the thalweg is about the same as it was in 1987. However,
the entire channel appears to have shifted about 15 to 20 feet to the right since 1987. There is a
minor deposit at about 38 feet on the cross section. This point is within a thick growth of reeds.

Cross Section 8
Cross section 8 is about 900 feet downstream of cross section 9 and about 7,300 feet downstream
of the Pescadero Road Bridge. We found the 1987 left-bank T-post, but not the right-bank T-post.
Cross section 8 does not appear on the 1987 map, so a compass bearing could not be calculated.
Therefore, we set the 2001 cross section at right angles to the main channel of Butano Creek.

There appears to be some deposition on the flat area, adjacent to the left bank T-post, since 1987.
The left edge of the main channel appears to have eroded since 1987. The thalweg is about three-
quarters of a foot deeper than it was in 1987. There appears to have been a significant amount of
deposition on the right-bank.

CHANGES IN PESCADERO MARSH AND BUTANO CREEK SINCE

1987

COMPLETED BUTANO MARSH RESTORATION PROJECTS

The California Department of Parks and Recreation implemented portions of the 1990 Pescadero
Marsh Natural Preserve Hydrological Enhancement Plan (Phillip Williams and Associates,
1990) in 1993 and 1997. Swanson Hydrology and Geomorphology recently reviewed the work
that had been accomplished (Swanson, 2001). Swanson discusses four Butano Marsh restoration
projects that were completed in 1993:

Element C-1 Widen an existing gap to 50 feet between North Butano Marsh and Butano
Creek.
Element C-2 Cut a 100-foot gap in the levee between Middle and East (south) Butano Marshes
and create a 125-foot long channel to connect to channels on either side of the
levee.
Element C-3 Cut a 100-foot wide gap in the levee between Middle and North Butano Marshes
and create a 125-foot long channel to connect to channels on either side of the
levee.
Element C-4 Remove 250-feet of levee downstream of the "Triple Junction."

In addition, Swanson reports that in 1997 about 1,500 feet of levee was removed from the north
and west perimeter of East Delta Marsh, which corresponds approximately with the right-bank of

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Butano Creek. We have included the approximate location of these projects on the Cross Section
location map.

All of the restoration projects were intended to increase the circulation of water and transported
sediment through the marsh.

STORM EVENTS
A graph showing all of the flood peaks on Pescadero Creek for the period 1951-1998 at the
USGS gage upstream of the town of Pescadero follows the text of this report. The estimate of the
magnitude of the 100-year and 10-year events are based on the Gumbel Extreme Value
distribution and may differ with the magnitude estimated using the Log-Pearson Type-III
distribution mandated by the federal government for flood studies.

Bankfull discharge is considered the flood magnitude that does the most work of sediment
transport and channel formation over a long period. It can, however, take many bankfull events to
equal the sediment transport of a single large event. Bankfull discharge is about 1,550 cfs for
Pescadero Creek, based on the 1.5-year storm event. The attached graph of flood-frequency
shows that 31 flood events occurred between 1988 and 1998. Of these, 19 events were greater
than bankfull and 14 were less than or equal to bankfull. The attached graph, Frequency of Flood
Events from 1988-1998, shows the distribution of flood peaks broken down into three periods.
The first period, 1988-1993, shows the distribution of flood events that occurred after the 1987
survey but prior to the restoration work done during the summer of 1993 (Elements C1-C4). The
second period is from 1994-1997, which shows the distribution of flood events that occurred after
the 1993 restoration work but prior to the 1997 levee removal. The third period shows the floods
after the removal of the 1,500 feet of levee in 1997. The largest flood event on record occurred
on February 3, 1998, after the restoration work was completed, and had a magnitude of 10,600
cfs. Table 1 summarizes the magnitude of flood events during the above three time periods.

The re-survey of the Butano Creek cross sections indicates the cumulative effect of 19 flood
events capable of transporting significant amounts of bedload. Only 5 of the 19 events greater
than or equal to bankfull occurred between 1987 and the summer of 1993. Therefore, it is
reasonable to expect that most of the channel change shown by the graph of the cross section
surveys occurred after the 1993 restoration projects were implemented. Since, however, there
were no surveys between the 1987 survey and 2001 survey, and Table 1 shows that there were
several events greater than bankfull in each of the three time periods, it is not possible to relate
directly the changes at a given cross section to a specific restoration activity.

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TABLE 1
DISTRIBUTION OF FLOOD EVENTS ON PESCADERO CREEK
SINCE THE 1987 SURVEY

No. of No. of
Events < Events >
Bankfull Bankfull Total

19881993 6 5 11
19941997 6 7 13
19982000 2 7 9

LONGITUDINAL PROFILE
We constructed a rough longitudinal profile showing the thalweg elevation from the 1987 and
2001 surveys. The distances were measured by ruler from the Transect and Cross Section
Location Map, from the 1987 survey report. A graph of the longitudinal profile is shown after the
cross section graphs.

The profile graph shows that Butano Creek is lower at every cross section, except cross
section 12. Swanson (2001) notes that a significant plug of deposited sediment, estimated to
contain over 20,000 cubic yards of material, extends from 1,200 feet above the bridge to 2,000
feet below the bridge; cross section 12 is located about 3,200 feet downstream of the bridge. It is
not known how Swanson determined the extent of the sediment plug. It may be possible that the
plug extends farther downstream than he estimated. Another possibility is that the removal of the
levee in 1997 has allowed a greater range of flow to leave the channel. Loss of in-channel flow
would decrease the sediment transport capacity of the stream and increase the potential for
deposition at the cross section. Neither is it clear what the effects of beaver dam removal from
Butano Creek in the spring of 2001 have been on the sediment plug, nor whether Swanson made
any observation of the channel after this occurred.

In any event, while the sediment plug may reach downstream to cross section 12, it does not
appear to extend all the way to cross-section 11. In general, below cross section 12, Butano Creek
is somewhat more incised than it was in 1987. This is the expected result of removing or
breaching the artificial levees in the marsh: the artificial levees would have kept the zone of
maximum deposition within the stream channel, and breaching or removing the levees would
have allowed more deposition outside of the stream channel during larger flood events. If
deposition continues in the area of cross section 12, the slope of the channel bottom downstream
of the deposition will increase, and the sediment transport capacity of the channel will
consequently increase until there is enough force to transport the load past the cross section
without further net deposition.

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Appendix A

UTM Coordinates of Points in the Pescadero Marsh

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Butano Creek Cross Section Endpoints

1987 X-
Cross Sect NAD 27 NAD 27
Section Pin Distance UTM UTM
Number Bank Elevation feet Northing Easting
7 Left 7.64 4124042.80 552679.59
7 Right 7.84 185 4124109.97 552683.89
8 Left 7.52
8 Right 7.86
9 Levee 10.53 4123762.68 552633.71
9 Right 6.46 156 4123785.26 552680.35
10 Left 7.36 4123548.49 552717.14
10 Levee 12.04 237 4123625.16 552734.91
10 Right 6.85 123 4123662.12 552749.17
19 Left no pin
19 Right ? 4123595.06 553092.34
11 Left 8.29 4123510.34 553115.94
11 Right 9.59 89 4123508.03 553143.43
12 Left 12.59 4123133.08 552970.58
12 Right ? 144 4123177.49 552978.50
17 Left 13.64 4122936.57 553245.53
17 Right ? 132 4122971.39 553238.55

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Pescadero Creek Cross Section Endpoints

Cross Bank Pin 1987 X-Sect NAD 27 NAD 27

Section Elevation Distance UTM UTM
Number feet Northing Easting
1 Left 6.85 4124342.1 552268.7
1 Right REW 215.0 4124401.4 552295.7
2 Left LEW 4124314.4 552289.8
2 Right N/A 315.6 4124395.0 552331.9
3 Left LEW 4124200.5 552308.1
3 Right 7.46 620.5 4124369.0 552395.0
4 Left 8.9 4124180.0 552339.1
4 Right 9.79 616.0 4124321.0 552458.2
5 Left LEW 4124136.6 552367.7
5 Right 4124173.4 552434.4
5 Levee 13.29 824.0 4124269.2 552574.5
6 Left LEW 4124037.3 552440.5
6 Right REW 229.0 4124099.0 552466.2
29 Left 9.32 4124046.7 552562.7
29 Right N/A 4124090.8 552557.9
29 Levee 13.29 722.0 4124269.2 552574.5
20 Left 5.09 4124112.1 552673.2
20 Right 8.49 120.0 4124145.3 552660.1
14 Left 9.6 4124154.9 552906.7
14 Right 11.65 103.0 4124185.9 552901.3
21 Left 9.99 4124071.9 553003.4
21 Right 8.57 114.0 4124096.2 553025.6
22 Left 9.53 4124062.9 553149.7
22 Right 8.65 102.0 4124086.7 553149.3
23 Left 12.82 4123944.8 553235.4
23 Right 13.24 81.0 4123955.8 553257.1
24 Left 15.24 4123858.5 553311.5
24 Right 13 133.0 4123897.4 553355.3
BM-5 5.95 4123686.0 553243.8
BM-4 17.91 4123950.4 553331.3

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Pescadero Marsh Vegetation Transect Markers

Cross NAD 27 NAD 27

Section End UTM UTM
Number Point Northing Easting

1 North 4122934.66 553245.58

1 South 4122887.11 553234.04

2 North 4123133.08 552970.54

2 South 4123082.54 552961.22

3 North 4123466.34 553008.90

3 South 4123439.92 553046.79

4 North 4123762.68 552633.71

4 South 4123718.77 552610.50

5 North 4123972.71 553080.75

5 South 4123937.51 553017.68

6 North 4123876.87 553144.27

6 South 4123843.83 553105.52

7 North 4124283.04 552830.16

7 South 4124231.46 552816.29

8 North 4124218.91 553054.38

8 South 4124168.36 553045.06

9 North 4123343.22 553227.07

9 South 4123327.69 553273.21

10 North 4123219.93 553175.49

10 South 4123185.34 553216.04

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Location of Tidal Staffs found during the 2001 cross section survey.

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