The two forks of Strawberry Creek, your local stream, begin high in the Berkeley hills. Meeting on campus in the Eucalyptus Grove and flowing westward, the creek eventually empties into the Bay. Today, after leaving campus the creek is directed underground, beneath the city's streets and buildings. It has not always been this way. In fact, there are stories of Big Game barbecues in the 1930's, behind the Alumni House, during which 40-pound salmon were pulled from Strawberry Creek and thrown on the grill.
Currently, most of Strawberry Creek is kept underground in a culvert. Culverts, straight underground tunnels of metal or concrete, prevent the formation of pools or meandering banks. The straightened creek flows faster and stronger, removing areas of slower flow essential for stream life, and heightening erosion and water quality problems downstream. Underground, the creek has no chance to grow vegetation, and the creek becomes completely impassable for fish travelling upstream.
But there is hope for Strawberry Creek. As part of their Downtown Area Plan, the city of Berkeley is currently considering making Center Street between Oxford and Shattuck a pedestrian walkway and "daylighting" (resurfacing) Strawberry Creek. This would restore native vegetation to the area, and to provide a habitat for stream wildlife. Creekside vegetation would decrease erosion and work in conjunction with algae and bacteria to filter out and remove toxins and pollutants such as oils and metals from the roadway. An open creek in the middle of downtown Berkeley would be a wonderful way for the public to connect with Strawberry Creek's history, ecology, and living health, as well as that of the local watershed. The creek could be used as an instructional tool and lab area for Berkeley High School, located only blocks away. It would also offer a location for recreation and a relaxing escape from the concrete of downtown.
The daylighting of Strawberry Creek will take much energy, negotiation, and funding. As of December 2007, the policy approved by the Plan’s Advisory Committee calls for further study of the daylighting proposal, including whether it would be more ‘feasible’ to simply construct a re-circulated water feature. The City is also considering the option of daylighting the creek further down Center St at MLK Memorial Park. With community engagement and support, Strawberry Creek can be restored.
What is in Strawberry Canyon?
Strawberry Canyon, the area behind the Memorial Stadium and one of the creek's watersheds, is more than a wild-land area. It is also home to the scientific-industrial development centered around the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LBNL), owned by the Department of Energy (DOE) and managed by the UC.
Contamination: In 1991, a DOE assessment found 678 violations of DOE regulations at LBNL, finding that Berkeley air, soil, and water was contaminated with tritium (radioactive hydrogen) and other radioactive substances and toxic chemicals.
The Molecular Foundry: The recent construction of this nanotech facility was carried out without an Environmental Impact Report, despite a lack of knowledge regarding the potential health effects of nano-particle emissions resulting from the Foundry’s work.
British Petroleum: The new British Petroleum energy bioscience research center will form part of the LBNL’s Helios Project. It will be researching and developing the uses of genetically engineered microbes for energy purposes (see the BP article).
More info: The Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste has produced reports on these issues, and can be found at cmtwberkeley.org. Past victories include the closing down of the National Tritium Labeling Facility and the relocation of the Canyon Chemical Facility.