Water Resources Collections and Archives

The Gerbode Creek drains 947 acres flowing westward to Rodeo Creek and thence to Rodeo Lagoon. The Gerbode valley is located ten miles north of San Francisco, California, in a former U.S. military base now part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area in Marin County. Numerous gullies are present in the watershed, presumably resulting from many years of agriculture, and road construction. In this study I measured the amount of sediment that has eroded in three separate gullies of the Gerbode Watershed and compared the volume of sediment transport to the area of its sub-watershed. I also analyzed aerial photos to see the changes in geomorphic form, riparian vegetation and human impact on Gerbode Valley. I have concluded that the sediment transport is a result of the agriculture and road runoff from this past 150 years. Based on aerial photos the riparian vegetation has been slowly making a comeback.