| Marin Creek (Upper) Marin Creek Village Creek (Lower Marin Creek) | |
|---|---|
 Daylighted portion of lower Marin Creek (Village Creek) in the Gill Tract,UC Village area | |
  Location of the mouth of Marin Creek in California | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Alameda County |
| City | Berkeley andAlbany, California |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | springs |
| • location | Berkeley Hills |
| • coordinates | 37°53′24″N122°16′31″W / 37.89000°N 122.27528°W /37.89000; -122.27528 |
| Mouth | Eastshore embayment, San Francisco Bay |
• location | Albany Beach,United States |
• coordinates | 37°53′19″N122°18′31″W / 37.88861°N 122.30861°W /37.88861; -122.30861 |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Codornices Creek |
Marin Creek is acreek tributary ofCodornices Creek in northwesternAlameda County, California.[1] The lower stretch of Marin Creek is also known asVillage Creek.
The creek runs from theBerkeley Hills through the cities ofBerkeley andAlbany toSan Francisco Bay. Throughout much of its course, it runs in culverts. BelowSan Pablo Avenue through theUniversity Village, it runs in the open in several stretches. It wasdaylighted in the course of the construction of theTarget store between Eastshore Highway and theUnion Pacific tracks.[1][2][3] The creek empties into aslough it shares withCodornices Creek andSchoolhouse Creek. The slough, which has been largely filled in, lies between theGolden Gate Fields racetrack and theEastshore Freeway.[4]
Open sections of the creek are maintained byFriends of the Five Creeks, a community organization.
In the early 20th century, a portion of the creek flowed through a channel in the center of Marin Avenue in Albany, which has since beenculverted. In fact the creek has been culverted nearly in its entirety under Marin Avenue.[5] Culverting of this creek has led to flooding and drainage problems in Albany, as this practice is not a sound or permanent method of containing drainwater.[6]
TheUniversity of California Berkeley daylighted a portion of Lower Marin or Village Creek. The 900-foot (0.27 km) stretch of the creek throughUC Village has been modeled into an 1,125-foot (0.34 km) 0.77 acre (.31 hectares)riparian habitat with the purposes of habitat restoration and community protection from a100-year flood.[7]
