Water in the 20th Century – Private-to-Public, Part II – Whose Water Now?

With water supply in the East Bay shifting to public utility oversight by 1930, local authorities devised regulations to manage and regulate water from local creeks not destined for drinking purposes. Pictured above are three very good web-based sources with regulatory information that relates to private citizens and ventures and use of local water sources.

L192-02-Internet Water Websites, (Image 1 of 44)

Temescal Creek provides an excellent example to examine how swift development impacted the use and outcome of creek water in the mid-20th century. Since the creek supplied Lake Temescal as an East Bay Regional Park, the flow and quality of the water continued to be an ongoing struggle. This update will follow the creek from the hills to College Ave. in Oakland. East view from Broadway, circa 1940, SN as train 27, the westbound school train.

L192-05-Peter Kyhn Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray , (Image 2 of 44)

Excess rainwater in the context of homes replacing previously open space in the hills could in theory be managed by storm drains, but from time to time, Temescal Creek would flood or get close to the brim. Appreciation to Nick Pon for sharing this photo.

L192-07-Nick Pon Photo, Courtesy Nick Pon, (Image 3 of 44)

One of the major reasons for delay in the construction of the Warren Freeway between the late 1930s, left, until completion of the highway 24 interchange in 1975, right, was who would pay for water pipes. Courtesy Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library, 267 or F-1200. Right, Copyright California Department of Transportation, C5492-2

L192-10-Annotations Below, (Image 4 of 44)

This section of the 1903 map marks what will be covered next; the outflow from Lake Temescal, blue arrow, until Temescal Creek crossed approximately under Broadway, green arrow. Prior to the freeway and Chabot Elementary School, Broadway extended straight beyond where it curves east to parallel Highway 24 today. Imagine the connector to Patton St. that goes under the freeway continuing straight into what is today the south side of the school to meet Chabot Rd.

L192-15-Woodward, Watson and Co. Map of Oakland, John Bosko Collection, Courtesy John Bosko, (Image 5 of 44)

An east view detail from a 1935 aerial shows the area of interest as the extension of Broadway to the new Broadway Low-level Tunnel is in progress. Temescal Creek may be traced from the lake in the upper right corner, to the left or north of the excavated road, and to the right or south of Chabot Rd.

L192-20-HJW Geospatial Inc, Pacific Aerial Surveys, Oakland CA, Courtesy E. Bay Regional Park Dist., (Image 6 of 44)

Extending Broadway meant the end of the lake spillway or falls, all replaced with pipe taking the creek to the north of Broadway. East view circa 1913.

L192-25-Eston Cheney Photo B-1319, Courtesy BAERA, W. Railway Museum Archives, 24153oae, (Image 7 of 44)

A comparison of before, Oct. 29, 1924, and after Oct. 23, 1934, the extension of Broadway was added to the west flank of the lake.

L192-30-Courtesy of East Bay Municipal Utility District, P-TR-37, l, P-TR-438, r , (Image 8 of 44)

The extension of Broadway and the end of the lake’s reservoir status meant that the filtration plant set up circa 1890 would no longer be needed. This northeast view from Oct. 29, 1924 of setting tile drain shows the filtration plant based on the National Board of Fire Underwriters, Committee of 20, 1905, Towns and Cities (Google Books) marking its location 1000 feet down stream from the lake in a 40 by 80 foot structure. Appreciation to David Gowen for these findings.

L192-35-Courtesy of East Bay Municipal Utility District, P-TR-38, (Image 9 of 44)

The pre-public water supply to Chabot Canyon has several layers of complexity. This 1883 map includes pipes, but it is not known if they are from the lake or the local creeks, or their ultimate destination. The pipes could have supplied the one house to the far left or west, but they appear to continue west. A wider distribution would favor Lake Temescal as the source for 1883.

L192-40-Courtesy David Gowen, (Image 10 of 44)

These 1922 east views along the San Francisco-Sacramento Railroad, SFSRR, show pipes being placed between the lake and the canyon, the right image being close to the present Highway 24, and the left image taken along Chabot Rd. in the interior of the canyon. Lake Temescal appears to have been on-line as a reservoir until 1930 based on the Figuers report discussed in the previous presentation, but no direct finding that says it supplied this area has been found.

L192-45-Eston Cheney Photos W-123, W-124, Courtesy of EBMUD, P-DM-243, r, P-DM-242, l, (Image 11 of 44)

Next to an early-to-mid 1920s northwest view of John Reyes’ farm land from upper Rockridge with his home at no. 6965 Chabot Rd. having a water tank, orange arrow, whose presence is confirmed by the insert from a Sanborn map, orange square. The home was reported to have been built in 1906, and where it got its water from is not known.

L192-47-Eston Cheney Photo D-3632, John Bosko Coll., Courtesy John Bosko, and David Gowen, (Image 12 of 44)

This circa 1925 west view of Chabot Canyon also reveals another aspect of water collection used on the Heimbold property north of the railway right-of-way. The Heimbolds owned the land to the east of Roble Rd. and settled in Chabot Canyon at the turn of the 20th century, and at some point built two cisterns on their land.

L192-50-Eston Cheney Photo D-1380-C, John Bosko Collection, Courtesy John Bosko, Detail, (Image 13 of 44)

A detail from the previous west view circa 1925 shows one of two cisterns still visible on the Heimbold property. The one pictured is still used by owner David Gowen. David notes “I’m not sure how the cistern worked in the early days, nor when it was actually built. I suspect that the pipe going into the hill was placed where it is because of a naturally occurring seep or spring at that spot. The cistern is made of brick that has been plastered with a thin layer of concrete on the inside.”

L192-55-Eston Cheney Photo D-1380-C, John Bosko Collection, Courtesy John Bosko, Detail, (Image 14 of 44)

Two images of the cistern today. David Gowen continues, “It’s also possible that there had been a pipe leading to it from one of the creek drainages up hill from it. If so, these would have been abandoned in the 40’s 50’s when the area was developed. There is an iron pipe which goes into the base of the low rise in our yard. I don’t know how this originally was put into the ground. This pipe empties into a dug well beside it, which is about 5x5 feet square and about 8 feet deep. A pipe goes from here to the cistern, which is about 16 feet around and about 9 feet deep. I ran pipes for overflow to the street, but basically the whole thing functions by itself. We pump water for the yard, but have tended to just think about it like a pond.”

L192-60-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 15 of 44)

David Gowen also noted a well on the property between Marie Way and the upper end of Chabot Rd. With the paucity of homes in this north view from 1935, it is easy to appreciate the oak trees that followed creeks feeding into Temescal Creek, the latter appearing on the lower left edge of this image on the south side of Chabot Rd.

L192-65-HJW Geospatial Inc, Pacific Aerial Surveys, Oakland CA, Courtesy E. Bay Regional Park Dist., (Image 16 of 44)

The creek along Roble Rd. still has the alterations placing it under the Oakland, Antioch and Eastern right-of-way, the later seen on the bottom photo, allowing it to reach Temescal Creek. The Grandview Branch of Vicente Creek, further west and still exposed today, follows a path across Tunnel Rd. and along The Uplands until it empties through a culvert close to Golden Gate Ave. David Gowen believes the McDuffie Estate on Tunnel Rd. had a pump house or storage facility that collected water from this source.

L192-70-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 17 of 44)

Homes on the south side of Chabot Rd. shared Temescal Creek in their backyards, shown here in this northeast view from Apr. 4, 1953. The concrete pillars seen along the bottom edge, left, marking its presence under Golden Gate Ave., are all that survive today. The last house in the foreground, left is no. 6914 Chabot Rd.

L192-75-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3301-18, Detail, (Image 18 of 44)

The backyard of no. 6914 Cabot Rd., in a north view from 1959, is typical of the homes that were along the creek. They incorporated the creek into the decor. When BART and the Highway 24 were being built, these owners lost their homes and the creek.

L192-80-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5420 , (Image 19 of 44)

Up to this point, the outflow of the lake through private land lost out to public construction projects. Ironically, it is in this area that EBMUD completed the Rockridge Siphon, the water supply to the local area. This north view of a SN 660-led freight captures the Claremont Laboratory and Claremont Tunnel West Portal. The area was approached under the concrete bridge over the roadway seen here. The signature palm tree of Rockridge Curve confirms the location, and the hood on the motor’s main light to reduce upwardly directed or reflected light indicate a WWII date.

L192-85-Charles Savage Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray , (Image 20 of 44)

This undated north view of the Claremont Lab shows its just in front of the housing covering the west portal of the Claremont Tunnel. The 3.4 mile tunnel still brings water from the filtration plant in Orinda across the Hayward Fault. The tunnel’s early 21st century retrofit to withstand future earthquakes using a 1,570-foot-long tunnel bypass won engineering acclaim. http://ebmud.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/Earthquake_Readiness_0.pdf Only the home above on the hill on the north side of the cul-de-sac of Roble Court remains, albeit obscured by trees.

L192-90-Courtesy of East Bay Municipal Utility District, P-PP-17, (Image 21 of 44)

A northeast view taken south relative to the SFSRR right-of-way, left, and one taken relative to a temporary track to the north, right, show the progress of the construction of the Rockridge Siphon from Aug. 23, 1927.

L192-95-C.E. Grundy, Jr. Photos, Courtesy of East Bay Municipal Utility District, P-AQ-19 and 20, (Image 22 of 44)

Today, one of the large siphon pipes rests right behind the only remains of Temescal Creek’s presence in the area at Golden Gate Ave. and Chabot Rd.

L192-100-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 23 of 44)

This circa 1911 southwest view shows the Oakland, Antioch and Eastern trestle being assembled on today’s Chabot Elementary School site. Upper Broadway is decades away, its position approximated by the Berkeley Rock Company’s quarry on the hillside. The round structure in the upper right is the 127,000 gallon reservoir for the Charles Butters’ estate to the southeast of the trestle, receiving water from a pump house whose roof can be seen at the far end of the trestle.

L192-105-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 70096sn, Detail, (Image 24 of 44)

The trestle was filled in by the excavated earth from the Claremont Tunnel in an agreement made between the SFSRR and EBMUD in 1926. How did this action impact Temescal Creek given the position of Butters’ pump house? Southwest view, the back part of the last SN freight being moved in two sections to Lake Temescal, Feb. 28, 1957.

L192-110-Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 90572sn, (Image 25 of 44)

Shown here are two documents written by SFSRR Chief Engineer WT Richards, the one to EBMUD, left, is abridged to reveal the key information about the creek on the second page, and the internal note to SN Railway VP and GM Harry Mitchell, right. The need for 250 feet of 7-8 foot diameter culvert, left, is surprising, but the bigger question on the right has to do more with water rights. Did Butters have the right to the creek water, and was it legal to be storing such massive amounts in a private reservoir for his own use?

L192-112-Courtesy, BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 4633, (Image 26 of 44)

In the end, all was resolved regarding Butters’ pump house without fanfare. This northeast view of Patton St. from Apr. 8, 1953 shows the handiwork of the engineers that culverted the creek under the railway berm. The fence and view of the creek were removed for a culvert when the freeway was built as will be seen later.

L192-115-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-41, Detail , (Image 27 of 44)

For those that need to see water running in the creek, this southwest view of the same spot on Patton St., southwest view, Apr. 8, 1953 provides that confirmation.

L192-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-40, Detail , (Image 28 of 44)

Two additional images help clarify the appearance of the creek as it met the railway. This involves the area east of and at the evolving intersection where Shafter Rd. ended at Broadway. This west view circa 1912 shows the track being placed down Shafter Ave. and the creek heading north where the street met Broadway, today equivalent to the connector between Broadway and Patton St., just north of Highway 24.

L192-125-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 34270sn, (Image 29 of 44)

Four images labelled as “Disposal Site” are shown. A-C from Aug. 9, 1961 with: A, south end of disposal site, looking east; B, north end of disposal site, looking east; C, box culvert and creek, south end of disposal site. D, from Dec. 7, 1961, was not annotated. These views appear to be Temescal Creek along the north edge of Broadway that have since been covered by Highway 24.

L192-130-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 30 of 44)

This section of the 1903 map marks the next section to be covered; Temescal Creek as it crossed approximately under Broadway, green arrow, until it reached College Ave., yellow arrow. Note that Claremont Ave. was called Telegraph Ave., Chabot Road was called Vernon Dr.- First Ave.-Pryal Lane. Note the path of Temescal Creek, and to its left or northwest, Harwood Creek.

L192-135-Woodward, Watson and Co. Map of Oakland, Courtesy John Bosko, (Image 31 of 44)

Ahead to an east view of Rockridge in 1935 following today’s street grid minus the freeway and the substitution of Miles Ave. for Shafter Ave. east of College Ave. The street across the top is Patton St., the street along the bottom is College Ave., and Broadway runs on a diagonal in the top right. St. Alberts sits right in the center with Chabot Rd. to the left, Shafter Ave. to the right, and Claremont Middle School can be seen along the bottom with Birch Ct. to the left, and Shafter Ave. to the right. Attention to the 1903 map will help find the creeks.

L192-140-HJW Geospatial Inc, Pacific Aerial Surveys, Oakland CA, Courtesy E. Bay Regional Park Dist., (Image 32 of 44)

A southwest view of Rockridge from April 8, 1953, Broadway is seen coming in on the diagonal from the upper left, Shafter Ave. and the SN tracks on the diagonal from College Ave. on the upper right. The tree pattern helps define the creek’s course.

L192-145-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-40, Detail, (Image 33 of 44)

A complementary northeast view from April 8, 1953, with all the descriptions reversed, top to bottom and right to left, for Broadway and Shafter Ave.

L192-150-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-41, Detail , (Image 34 of 44)

A further detail of the previous northeast view between Shafter Ave. and Keith Ave. shows the next to the last appearance of Temescal Creek east of College Ave. This area is covered by freeway and BART today. The house to the immediate west or below the creek is no. 5730 Keith Ave., and to the immediate east or above the creek is no. 5740 Keith Ave.

L192-155-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-41, Detail , (Image 35 of 44)

While street views on Shafter Ave. did not afford views of the creek, the same was not true of Keith Ave. A north view of no. 5730 Keith Ave. in 1961 when the house was 50 years old. Temescal Creek is to the right.

L192-160-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5580, (Image 36 of 44)

A south view of the stairs and retaining wall down to the creek behind no. 5730 Keith Ave., ca. 1961.

L192-165-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5580, (Image 37 of 44)

A north view of no. 5740 Keith Ave. in 1961 when the house was 48 years old. Temescal Creek is to the left, wrapping around the west side of the home. According to Sanborn maps, the creek at some point was exposed for a short distance just to the east of College Ave. Go to the next image ...

L192-170-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Binder 5580, (Image 38 of 44)

The blue arrow in this Apr, 8, 1953 southwest view shows the area just reviewed, and the orange arrow shows where the exposed creek made a curve back to Shafter Ave. before disappearing through to College Ave.

L192-175-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-40, Detail, (Image 39 of 44)

With the path of Temescal Creek now surveyed from Chabot Canyon to College Ave., this west view from June 27, 1967 will show the position of the culverts to accommodate construction of Highway 24 and BART. Several detailed views follow ...

L192-180-Courtesy California Department of Transportation, 13947-2, (Image 40 of 44)

First, the culvert placed between Golden Gate Ave., bottom, and Patton St., top. West view, June 27, 1967.

L192-185-Courtesy California Department of Transportation, 13947-2, Detail 1, (Image 41 of 44)

Next, further west, the culvert follows the path of the new Miles Ave. The outline of the road it replaced after significant house removal, Shafter Ave., is just to its left or south. West view, June 27, 1967.

L192-190-Courtesy California Department of Transportation, 13947-2, Detail 2, (Image 42 of 44)

Finally, the culvert running from Shafter Ave. to Keith Ave. The portion of the creek passing through St. Alberts property was not impacted and remains exposed to this day. West view, June 27, 1967.

L192-195-Courtesy California Department of Transportation, 13947-2, Detail 3, (Image 43 of 44)

According to locals, having the creek open at St. Alberts allowed water to be withdrawn during drought times in the early 1970s. Whose water now? Appreciation to and acknowledgement of David Gowen, who has spent many years studying historical water use in Chabot Canyon and beyond, for his contributions to this update and access to his cistern.

L192-200-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 44 of 44)