A long-term plan to restore marshland in a low-lying area of unincorporated San Rafael is moving forward with fresh momentum from a $1.4 million grant. The County of Marin’s Department of Public Works (DPW), in partnership with Marin County Parks, received the grant from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority (SFBRA), which awards funds generated by the regional Measure AA tax.
The funding will be used strictly for the design and permitting phases of a project which could take sediment dredged from Gallinas Creek, put it in the main basin of McInnis Marsh to then be potentially used to restore targeted sections of former tidal marsh in the southern area.
The design and permitting phases, which would also include the environmental impact report, are expected to begin in June 2025 and should be completed by the end of 2027. After this initial phase, the project would be ready for implementation.
It is anticipated that the implementation of the project would cost several million dollars and would need funding from grants to move forward. The construction cost estimate will be solidified through the design phase and, in that process, potential grant opportunities would be identified for DPW and Parks to pursue.
It is important to develop construction-ready design plans such as this one because the initial detailed design work is necessary to attract construction grant funding. The $1.4 million grant from SFBRA makes the likelihood significantly higher for ultimately implementing the restoration of McInnis Marsh.
If the project were to be implemented, it would place approximately 110,000 cubic yards of dredged sediment from the 1.8 miles of the southern fork of Gallinas Creek into McInnis Marsh’s main basin. This sediment would raise land elevations in the main basin higher, toward a level that would be necessary for the establishment of tidal marsh vegetation restoration in the main basin. That potential restoration could be created by either a future restoration project or a natural occurrence caused by flooding. In addition to the reuse of dredged sediment, the plan would entail immediate tidal restoration of 30 acres of former tidal marsh across the southern area of McInnis Marsh, which would provide immediate habitat benefits.