The Peyton Slough watershed is composed of urban Peyton Creek and some minor tributaries, managed runoff from the Shell Oil Refinery located west of I-680, urban runoff from the relatively small Arthur Road neighborhood east of I-680, as well as drainage from portions of I-680 itself. The watershed includes Martinez Reservoir, the terminal reservoir of the Contra Costa Canal. Martinez Reservoir has a spillway connected to Peyton Creek. Peyton Creek is a highly modified urban creek with a combination of open concrete channels, natural channels, and a 1,000-foot-long underground concrete culvert through the Shell Oil Refinery property. Peyton Creek is an intermittent stream, mostly drying up by the summer.
The Peyton Slough Wetlands Advisory Committee (Committee) got its start during the Shell Martinez Refinery oil spill cleanup effort at Shell Marsh in 1988. Community involvement in the cleanup led to forming the Shell Marsh Technical Advisory Committee. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District (CCMVCD), and Mt. View Sanitary District (MVSD) took the lead early on by creating clear goals and objectives for managing the 138-acre seasonal wetland. The Committee was particularly well guided by Mike Rugg, biologist with CDFW (previously California Department of Fish and Game), in the formation of a Management Plan.
The Committee members honored Al McNabney, a founding member of the group and a representative for the Mount Diablo Audubon Society, by naming the marsh in honor of his tireless efforts to protect the site as wildlife habitat. In 1992 the advisory group became the McNabney Marsh Management Advisory Committee. In 2006, the group was renamed the Peyton Slough Wetlands Advisory Committee, and MVSD and CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) currently co-chair the organization. As of January 2020, the PSWAC is made up of representatives from the following organizations:
The Committee’s goals for McNabney Marsh include enhancing wetland habitats, controlling mosquitoes and algae, improving water quality, reducing flood risk, and improving public access. MVSD and Ducks Unlimited are spearheading the effort to fund the McNabney Marsh Enhancement Project, an estimated $7 million effort to improve water and habitat quality through the replacement of a Union Pacific Railroad bridge over Peyton Slough to allow greater water exchange in the marsh. Other planned habitat enhancements include the replacement/upgrade of water control structures, the importation of clean sediment to raise the marsh plain, improvement of levees, invasive plant removal, and the creation of earthen islands to increase ground nesting habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl.
Skills: Environmental education, community engagement, research processes, insect identification, report writing.
Fun Fact: Victoria competes in triathlons and will hike or bike up any hill/mountain she can get her feet or wheels on. She summited Haleakalā in Maui, HI on bike in the summer of 2021. Her next challenge is pending. Victoria also loves to cook and create random dishes from available seasonal produce.
Victoria (she/her) is from Orange County, CA. She graduated in 2021 from University of California, Davis with a BS in Environmental Science and Management with an emphasis in Natural Resource Management and a minor in Insect Biology. She participated in a research lab at UC Davis exploring the impacts of human development on insect/plant relationships over time. Following this, she worked as an environmental consultant to identify and resolve soil and/or groundwater contamination to protect water resources throughout the Bay Area.
Victoria grew up helping her dad weed and tend to his extensive vegetable and fruit tree garden and spent many family vacations camping in various national parks. Victoria considers herself very lucky to have grown up with access and connections to the outdoors and wildlife. She understands the importance of access to healthy, natural places for individual and community wellbeing. Victoria is excited to work with CCRCD and partners to help achieve more safe, accessible, sustainable, and functional natural areas regardless of community wealth, race, or composition.
The Mission of the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District is to Facilitate Conservation and Stewardship of the Natural Resources in Contra Costa County.
