The Butano Creek Floodplain Restoration Project

The Butano Creek Floodplain Restoration Project

The San Mateo County Resource Conservation District, in collaboration with Peninsula Open Space Trust, is proposing to reconnect Butano Creek to its historical floodplain located at the Butano Farms property in Pescadero, California. The Butano Creek Floodplain Restoration Project would include restoration actions at five treatment sites along Butano Creek where the channel has been disconnected from the floodplain due to channel simplification (i.e., the removal of large wood) and incision. Restoration activities would include installation of logs and rootwads, a rock ramp, floodplain connector channels, and recruitment of living bank side alder trees to engineered specifications. The goal of the project is to restore natural function to the creek, reduce specifications. The goal of the project is to restore natural function to the creek, reduce further incision of the creek bed and erosion of its banks, raise the elevation of the creek bed to reconnect the creek with its former floodplain, restore the floodplain's ability to store sediment, address water quality impairment for sediment, and result in improved habitat conditions for several rare and endangered species, including steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), California red-legged frog (rana draytonii) and San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia). Additionally, the project would improve conditions along Pescadero Creek Road, where sediment build-up in Butano Creek results in frequent flooding and is a public safety hazard to vehicles on Pescadero Creek Road.

San Mateo