Your Miller Creek Watershed
Miller Creek Watershed is unique in that it has relatively intact riparian vegetation along the creek. The 12 square mile watershed has 30 miles of channels. Beginning at Big Rock Ridge at the top of Lucas Valley, the Miller Creek watershed encompasses all of Lucas Valley, Marinwood, and the farmland on the east side of Hwy 101 opposite Marinwood.
The headwaters of Miller Creek begin at Big Rock Ridge in the 1,271-acre Lucas Valley Preserve just below Big Rock Trail. From the north side of the upper valley numerous tributaries feed into the creek from Lucas Valley Preserve, while a larger tributary beginning at the peak of Loma Alta feeds in from private ranch lands on the south side of the upper valley. The creek meanders easterly through the neighborhoods along the valley floor and then makes a jog to the north at the Marinwood Community Center where it winds through Marinwood Park and resumes its easterly direction. There is a path through the park that begins at Marinwood Parklet on Las Gallinas Ave. that parallels the creek, providing a great stroll through natural riparian habitat.
Miller Creek is met by Blackstone Canyon Creek just below Las Gallinas Avenue. Blackstone Canyon Creek flows east through Marinwood Open Space Preserve along Horne Trail and enters a culvert at the trailhead at the end of Valleystone Drive. It is piped east down Balckstone Drive and south down Las Gallinas Avenue where it crosses under Miller Creek Road and daylights into a concrete channel before joining Miller Creek. The creek then flows east under Hwy 101 just south of the Marinwood overpass, passing briefly through farmland before enters the baylands at the SMART trestle and the home stretch out to San Pablo Bay. The creek is named after James Miller, who settled on part of Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita y Las Gallinas in 1845.
The watershed supports several special-status plants and animals. Noteworthy special status species include Salt marsh harvest mouse, San Pablo song sparrow, Ridgway's rail, California black rail, and Steelhead trout. It is also known to support other fish species including California roach, Threespine stickleback, Staghorn sculpin, Prickly sculpin, Riffle sculpin, and Sacramento sucker.
The trail system surrounding the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District reclamation ponds and along the baylands is a great way to view over 200 bird species supported by this important habitat. There are active heron and egret nest colonies on shrub-covered islands at the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District treatment plant at the east end of Smith Ranch Road. Black-crowned night-heron, snowy egret, and great egret have also been observed nesting on the islands.
Remember, storm drains connect streets to creeks. Simple changes can make a big impact. Miller Creek Watershed is Ours to Protect.