San Rafael Creek

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox river

| name = San Rafael Creek

| name_native =

| name_native_lang =

| name_other =

| name_etymology = Spanish

| image = File:San Rafael Creek 2.jpg

| image_caption =

| image_size = 300

| map = San Rafael Creek.jpg

| map_size = 300

| map_caption = San Rafael Creek watershed ([https://mghydro.com/watersheds/shared/445867.html Interactive Map])

| pushpin_map =

| pushpin_map_size =

| pushpin_map_caption=

| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = United States

| subdivision_type2 = State

| subdivision_name2 = California

| subdivision_type3 = Region

| subdivision_name3 = Marin County

| subdivision_type4 =

| subdivision_name4 =

| subdivision_type5 =

| subdivision_name5 =

| length = {{convert|3|mi|km|abbr=on}}

| width_min =

| width_avg =

| width_max =

| depth_min =

| depth_avg =

| depth_max =

| discharge1_location=

| discharge1_min =

| discharge1_avg =

| discharge1_max =

| source1 =

| source1_location = San Rafael, California

| source1_coordinates= {{coord|37|58|30|N|122|32|18|W|display=inline}}{{gnis|232467|San Rafael Creek}}

| source1_elevation =

| mouth = San Rafael Bay

| mouth_location = {{convert|1.5|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} north of San Quentin State Prison

| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|37|58|2|N|122|29|11|W|display=inline,title}}

| mouth_elevation = {{convert|0|ft|abbr=on}}

| progression =

| river_system =

| basin_size =

| tributaries_left =

| tributaries_right =

| custom_label =

| custom_data =

| extra =

}}

San Rafael Creek is a watercourse in Marin County, California, United States that discharges to San Rafael Bay, a small embayment of the San Francisco Bay.[http://www.coastal.ca.gov/nps/Web/cca_pdf/sfbaypdf/CCA98SanRafaelCreek.pdf Profile description and impairment categorization of San Rafael Creek, Marin County California] The mouth of San Rafael Creek is a channelized estuary through an industrial area. San Rafael Creek has a designation under Federal Law Section 303(d) as impaired by diazinon, the principal pollutant causing impairment designations for streams discharging to San Pablo Bay, which is the northern arm of San Francisco Bay.[http://oaspub.epa.gov/tmdl/huc_rept.control?p_huc=18050002&p_huc_desc=SAN%20PABLO%20BAY Federal impairment designations of various streams entering San Pablo Bay] In September 2007, the organization Save The Bay designated San Rafael Creek as one of the top ten "worst trash hot spot" waterways flowing into the San Francisco Bay.[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/11/MNL1S2QBO.DTL&hw=save+the+bay&sn=002&sc=616 It's time to help yank the gunk out of bay waterways] The channel portion of San Rafael Creek below the Grand Street Bridge is dredged on a regular maintenance schedule to keep the shallow draft channel navigable.[http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/projects/sanrafaelo&m.html U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dredging Details for San Rafael Creek] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701072101/http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/projects/sanrafaelo%26m.html |date=2007-07-01 }} Dredge spoils are disposed of at a site near Alcatraz Island.

File:San Rafael Creek 3.jpg

Most of the soils in the lower watershed are clays and bay mud, resulting in a low transmissivity of groundwater. Typical vertical soil profiles in the lower watershed are four to five feet of imported fill over 60 to 65 feet (18–20 meters) of bay mud set on a basement of Franciscan Sandstone bedrock.Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Kerner Building, San Rafael, Earth Metrics Inc. Report 10253, Nov. 1, 1989 At the mouth of San Rafael Creek, situated on the south bank, is Pickleweed Park, where shorebirds can be seen, particularly in the winter migration season.[http://www.mcstoppp.org/nature.htm Nature information on San Rafael Creek Watershed]