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Lake Merced: A Geomorphic History
Lake Merced, in the
southwest corner of the City
of San Francisco, is a young
coastal lagoon-turned-
freshwater lake. It is a surface
exposure of the Westside
Basin groundwater aquifer
that lies under the region. The
lake itself is actually divided
into three separate lakes
commonly known as North,
South, and Impound Lakes,
with the eastern portion of
North Lake is often referred to
as East Lake. Today, the
surface of the lake sits at
approximately 18 feet above
mean sea level (Camp,
Dresser, & McKee, 1999), and
is primarily fed by a series of
underground springs, which
draw water solely from the
aquifer.
In the last 150 years,
significant alterations of the landscape have changed the morphology and hydrologic stability of
the lake. Urban encroachment, and the diversion of surface stream flow away from the lake have
severely reduced the influx of nutrients and sediments into the lake. Furthermore, pumping of
the Westside Basin aquifer for irrigation and municipal uses has created an overdraft situation,
which is reflected by the gradually declining water levels in Lake Merced. Today’s estimates
indicate that if current rates of groundwater extraction are maintained, Lake Merced could wind
Figure 1. Lake Merced in the southwest corner of San Francisco is surrounded on the north and east by urban development, and by private golf courses to the south. It is a surface exposure of the Westside Basin aquifer, which stretches southwest from Golden Gate Park to the San Francisco Airport. Map by David Freitag.
2
up as a dry mudflat as soon as 2009. If groundwater reserves drop too low, the very real risk of
salt-water intrusion into the aquifer would render it permanently unfit for its present use as
drinking water for the 250,000 people who currently rely on it. It is in the best interest of the
greater Lake Merced community and the users of this aquifer to insure that this condition is not
realized.
This paper has two purposes: First, to explore the geologic development of Lake Merced
as a coastal lagoon and identify historical sources of stream sedimentation. Second, the
discussion of how the urbanization of the surrounding landscape has altered these sources, the
morphology of the lake and proposals for restoration and future management of the resource. An
understanding of the history, geology, hydrology, current uses and abuses is essential to
developing a preliminary model for the eventual treatment, restoration and maintenance of water
quality of Lake Merced.
Methodology
The study begins with a review of the complex geology of the Lake Merced region.
Analysis of US Geological Survey reports will reveal a glimpse of what the area might have
looked like prior to the formation of the lake. The first section includes descriptions of the
complex stratigraphy that underlies the region. Theories for the formation of Lake Merced are
presented in conjunction with those of coastal lagoon formations throughout the world.
In the second section, a series of aerial photographs of the eastern portion of Lake
Merced are presented to show how human occupancy has disrupted the annual streams and
catchment basins which once flowed into Lake Merced. A series of historic maps from the
Spring Valley Water Company archives is shown to establish dates of significant, human-
induced morphological change. Rainfall and pumping records are examined to help establish
balanced rates of consumption. Through analysis, we can determine the location of groundwater
recharge zones that once fed the Merced aquifer. This information should help to produce a
model of specific sites where aboveground flow may be restored, thereby creating new recharge
zones for the dying lake and its aquifer.
3
Geologic History
Lake Merced sits atop layers of young,
poorly consolidated sediments just a few miles
north of the active San Andreas Rift Zone. The
underlying geology consists of a tectonic melange
of northward-dipping strata. Difficult to date, the
layers of bedrock and overlying, sedimentary
deposits in the Lake Merced region are usually
youngest closest to the surface. The dipping
layers tend to maintain their chronological
stratigraphy, leveling out near the lake itself.
Three main categories of rock comprise the layers
of the region. The underlying bedrock consists of
a tightly packed mixture of volcanics known as
the Franciscan Assemblage, overlain in most
areas by the relatively unconsolidated sediments
of the Merced and Colma Formations. These
layers are known to have been deposited as a
result of eustatic cycles of coastline transgression
and regression throughout the interglacial periods
of the Pleistocene age (Clifton & Hunter, 1988).
The oldest rocks in the assemblage are thought to be no more than 1.5 million years old.
The Franciscan Formation
The Franciscan assemblage is a tectonic mixture of older volcanic and sedimentary rocks
that underlies the poorly consolidated surface deposits of the Lake Merced region. These rocks
are part of a “central belt” of the coast ranges, thought to have uplifted to the surface about 175
million years ago as a result of the subduction of the Fallon plate beneath the North American
plate (Clifton & Hunter, 1988). Rocks from this period can be seen distinctly throughout the
higher peaks of central San Francisco as dark, golden-colored, serpentine outcroppings, and
along the northwestern edge of Lake Merced. These formations may have provided the initial
structural control that prevented mouth of the Lake Merced valley from becoming excessively
Figure 2. Distribution of rock formations in the vicinity of Lake Merced. The lake sits atop the poorly consolidated sandstones of the Colma formation (Clifton & Hunter, 1988).
Lake Merced
4
wide (Konigsmark, 1998). Sedimentary graywacke sandstone and siltstone make up about 90%
of the bedrock underlying the lake basin. It is deposited in a depression above the San Bruno
Fault scarp, which is thought to run directly under the lake parallel to the San Andreas Fault.
The relatively young sediments of the San Bruno terrain are relatively high in potassium-rich
feldspar deposits. Fragments of other metamorphics, cherts, and quartzes are also found in these
deposits. The remaining 10% of the Franciscan bedrock consists mostly of deposits of green
volcanic basalts, which are less resistant to weathering than the softer sedimentary layers they
are mixed with.
The Merced Formation
Overlying the Franciscan bedrock are two relatively young layers of loosely consolidated
sediments known as the Merced and Colma formations. These oldest layers of these deposits are
thought to date no further back than the first glacial episode of the Pleistocene era, known as the
Nebraskan glacial age (Konigsmark, 1998). The depositional history of these formations is tied
directly to a unique interplay between tectonic movement along the San Andreas Fault system,
and the transgressive / regressive dynamics of shoreline
movement due to repeating interglacial cycles.
About 65 million years ago, near the end of the
Cretaceous period, the Franciscan subduction zone became
inactive, and parts of the assemblage began to uplift. As parts of
the coastal ranges were forced upwards, other areas began to
subside. What is now the region of Lake Merced, along the San
Andreas Fault, subsided below sea level, forming a valley and
sediment catchment basin. Surface streams along the western
edge of the peninsula began to erode the Franciscan rocks and
deposit them in this small coastal valley. The basins eventually
filled with deposits of sandstone, shale, siltstone, and
conglomerate. The locations of these basins fluctuated
dramatically along the fault system. Some of the micro-valleys
became uplifts, of which several re-warped into valleys. A thick
layer of volcanic ash exists in the Merced formation beneath the
Fort Funston viewing platform, possibly as a result of the violent
Figure 3. Cross-sectional stratigraphy of the Merced formation, showing relative age, elevation, and fossil record (Clifton & Hunter, 1988).
5
eruption of Lassen Peak around 400,000 years ago. This ash was deposited at a time when this
part of the Merced formation was uplifted above sea level (Konigsmark, 1998).
Throughout the Pleistocene, the Pacific shoreline off the coast of San Francisco
fluctuated dramatically. As glacial episodes began, sea level would drop dramatically, extending
the shoreline tens of miles westward of its present position. During these times, the San
Francisco Bay become a dry valley, and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers would meander
out the mouth of the Golden Gate, depositing their loads of Sierran sediments in deltas and sand
dunes far to the west of the present shore. As the tidal action of the nearshore regressed from its
present position, marine terrace steps were left high and dry, as much as twenty to thirty miles
inland from the retreated tidal zones. During the most recent Wisconsin glaciation of the
Holocene, as sea level fell, the land was gradually uplifted north of the San Andreas Fault.
About 10,000 years ago, as the glaciers again receded, sea level rose to its present position, and
tidal, wavecutting action began to erode the barrier cliffs of the Merced formation west of Lake
Merced at Fort Funston (Konigsmark, 1998).
It is interesting to note that parts of the Merced formation were deposited directly in the
basin of the San Andreas Fault. As the Pacific plate slid northward, half of the Merced
formation moved northwest of the Golden Gate. This created the Bolinas Headlands in Marin
County, which are identical in age to those found beneath the viewing platform at Fort Funston,
and present identical bands of deposition (Konigsmark, 1998).
The Colma Formation
The Colma formation is the youngest of all the rock sequences in the Lake Merced
region. It sits atop the Merced formation at a slight angular nonconformity, due to a slight uplift
of the Merced formation prior to the deposition of Colma sediments. The Colma and Merced
formations are comprised of almost identical materials, the layers of which would be virtually
indistinguishable if it weren’t for this slight unconformity. Both are comprised of poorly
consolidated sediments that were deposited in the nearshore environment. Interestingly, the
sediments of both the Colma and Merced formations contain a mixture of marine and non-marine
sediments. The sediment sequencing distinctly reflects the coastal cycles of transgression and
regression that occurred throughout the Pleistocene glacial epochs. As glaciers advanced,
streams flowed through these coastal valleys, depositing sediments eroded from the surrounding
Franciscan bedrock. As the glaciers receded, sea levels rose, flooding these valleys with deposits
6
of sandy marine sediments and fossils. The fossil record of both the Merced and Colma
formations show imbedded footprints of mammals beneath younger layers of marine
invertebrates (Geo/Resources, 1993).
Above the Colma formation is evidence of extensive coastal sand dunes that were blown
inland from the shoreline. Most of the sand deposited on the beaches west of Lake Merced was
carried down from the Sierra Nevada by the Sacramento River (Konigsmark, 1998). The sand is
composed of rounded grains of quartz and feldspar, the main components of the Sierra granitic
intrusion. These sand dunes cover most of the western edge of the San Francisco peninsula, and
stretched as far inland as what is now the financial district. The sand dunes were stabilized by
native scrub vegetation, which can still be seen at Fort Funston, and on the mesa, north of Lake
Merced (Holzman, 2000).
The Formation of Lake Merced
The origin of Lake Merced can be traced back no later than 15,000 years ago, or the
beginning of the Wisconsin glaciation. As these North American glaciers advanced for the last
time, sea levels lowered, exposing two small coastal valleys that drained westward to the sea.
Small streams flowed westward from the central hills of the peninsula, incising the basins that
now are occupied by Lake Merced. One stream flowed northwest from the Westlake region of
Daly City and the other flowed west from the Ingleside district through a deep canyon now
occupied by the SFSU campus. These two major streams eroded the poorly consolidated sands
of the Colma formation, joined together near what is now the San Francisco Zoo, and deposited
the sediments west of the present shoreline. Six historical creek beds have been identified whose
watercourses all converge in the Lake Merced basin. According to geologist Neil Fahy, “The
poorly consolidated nature of the sediments offered little resistance to the erosive power of the
streams in creating their valleys.” Thus, we can conclude that the combined effects of the
tectonic uplift of the Merced terrace and fluvial incision were responsible for creating the
structural control of the Lake Merced basin (Fahy, 1974).
The Wisconsin glaciation lasted for about 5000 years. At the end of this epoch, the
glaciers receded, releasing huge volumes of water back into the oceans causing sea levels
surrounding San Francisco to rise to their present height. The advancing seas inundated the
extended coastal valleys occupied by the streams, creating a lagoon. San Francisco Bay was
7
flooded once again, creating the familiar shoreline of the Bay Area we recognize today. A
process of coastal deposition was the final stage in the formation of Lake Merced.
According to Fahy, the rise in sea level caused Point Reyes to become a large peninsular
projection, which deflected the southward-moving California Current away from the Golden
Gate. This created an eddy in the Gulf of the Farallones, which created an inner coastal current
moving northward up the peninsula, past the entrance of the newly formed Lake Merced lagoon.
As tidal action began to erode the sandy sea cliffs of the Merced formation along the San Mateo
Coast, the sediments were transported northward along the peninsula by this current. At the
mouth of the lagoon, the freshwater outflow from the lagoon reduced the competence of the
offshore current, resulting in the deposition of sand at the southern end of the lagoon’s outlet to
the sea. A barrier spit grew northward, evolving into a barrier beach that grew high enough to
prohibit the coastal creeks from flowing to the sea. Apparently, the competence of the outwash
streams was not high enough to keep this sand spit from completely enclosing the lagoon. Many
other lagoons along the California coast were formed in this manner at this time, though not all
were permanently closed from the sea. Barrier beaches which enclose the UCSB lagoon, the
Goleta Slough, Morro Bay, and Humboldt Bay were also formed at this time (Donetz, 1999,
Fahy, 1974). This theory of the formation of Lake Merced is consistent with explanations of
formations of similar systems worldwide (Kjerfve, 1994). Many of the barrier islands that
enclose lagoon systems along the southeast coast of the United States were formed during this
same period of interglacial activity (Barnes, 1980).
Studies performed by the US Geological Survey have determined that Lake Merced is
connected to an underground, freshwater aquifer via a system of springs that well up through
fissures beneath the lake (Yates, et al, 1990). After Lake Merced became isolated from the sea,
the salt water evaporated and was replaced by this underground supply of freshwater captured
above an impermeable layer of clay. Over the years, Lake Merced evolved from a brackish
lagoon into a completely freshwater ecosystem. Historical records from the 1774 Anza
expedition reveal that the lake contained freshwater at the time of their encampment (Fahy,
1974). The lake was named by Father Palou on September 24, 1774, as La Laguna Nuestra
Senora de la Merced, for “The Lake of Our Lady of Mercy (Holzman, 2000).”
8
Human Influence
The Ohlone Indians were the first known people to make use of the resources of Lake
Merced. The tule reeds, which still
grow around the lake, were used
extensively by the native fishermen
for housing materials, sleeping mats,
clothing, and hunting decoys.
Although no permanent settlement
was found, a seasonal encampment
was excavated along the northern
edge of the SFSU campus during its
construction (Holzman, 2000). There
is no record that the native people
made any significant alterations to the
natural watershed of Lake Merced.
During the time of Mexican
occupation in the early 1800s, the lands surrounding Lake Merced were granted to the Gallindo
family by the Jose Castro, the Mexican Governor of California. Rancho Laguna de la Merced
was operated as farmland until 1868, when the newly formed Spring Valley Water Company was
granted the land, to be operated as a public water supply for the growing City of San Francisco.
In the late evening of November 23, 1852, a significant earthquake shook the region. The
following morning, it was observed by parties residing in the area that:
“. . . A great channel between the lake and the sea had been opened, through a broad and high sand bank, during the
night, by which the waters [of Lake Merced] had found a way and been discharged (Fahy, 1974).”
Once again, Lake Merced had re-established its tidal connection to the sea. After this
earthquake, a fissure 300+ yards wide was created in the vicinity of what is now the San
Francisco Zoo, and the water level dropped 20 feet. It is assumed that the perennial streams that
formed Lake Merced continued flowing into it from the east and that some of this water made its
way through the system of lakes to the sea, in its natural attempt to achieve dynamic equilibrium.
During the high tidal swells of the winter season, it is likely that occasionally, seawater would
invade the lagoon via the reopened tidal channel. The longshore depositional processes
Figure 4. Lake Merced at the time of the Ohlone Indians. Seasonal encampments were located near the banks of freshwater streams. Drawing by Nancy Morita, 1992.
SFSU
9
responsible for the original closure
of the inlet would probably have
naturally re-established this closure
over time.
However, in 1895, the
Spring Valley Water Company
began significant structural and
morphological changes at Lake
Merced that would change its
environment forever. First, a dam
was constructed across the mouth of
the tidal channel at the north end of
North Lake, artificially advancing
the natural process of lagoon
closure and preventing any further
incursions of salt water. Skyline
Boulevard crosses this area today.
Secondly, North and South Lakes
were permanently separated from
each other by another dam, which
provides the modern auto entrance
to Harding Park.
From this point forward, the lake would be managed as a clean source of fresh water for
the developing city of San Francisco. After the dam was completed, the lake level was raised
and was maintained at a height of 28 feet above sea level (Fahy, 1974). These dams not only
prevented the waters of the Pacific from entering Lake Merced, they also prohibited the
sediments flowing in from the creeks from being discharged into the sea. During the winter
storm seasons, muddy water would wash down these creeks into Lake Merced, causing increased
turbidity, and lowering water quality. As a result, the Spring Valley Water Company created a
system of diversion channels that carried the seasonal runoff from these streams away from Lake
Merced. The three main creeks were diverted into a culvert south of the lake, and through an
outlet tunnel to the sea beneath Fort Funston. This culvert, the Vista Grande Diversion Canal,
Figure 5. Southwestern San Francisco c. 1890, just prior to the development of Lake Merced as a municipal reservoir. The tidal connection to the sea was re-opened by the earthquake of 1852. It was permanently sealed by the Spring Valley Water Company in 1895 (Oakland Museum, 2000).
10
reduced the size of Lake Merced’s watershed from a historic size of 6,320 acres to a mere 650
acres of land immediately surrounding the lake (Camp, Dresser, & McKee, 1999).
Urbanization of Lake Merced
From1935 to1955, the lands
that lay primarily to the east of Lake
Merced experienced rapid
urbanization. Virtually all of this
growth occurred immediately above
the lands that served as Lake
Merced’s groundwater recharge
zones. Over 90% of the land above
the historic watershed of Lake
Merced was either paved, or densely
filled with housing and commercial
structures. Virtually all of the
historic creeks that once fed Lake
Merced were diverted underground
into storm drains that emptied into the Vista Grande Diversion Canal. A primary factor that
allowed for this period of explosive growth on the eastern shores of the lake can be attributed to
the completion of the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct system in 1938. At that time, the Spring Valley
Water Company sold its rights to the land surrounding Lake Merced back to the city of San
Francisco, to be managed by the Public Utilities Commission as an emergency potable water
supply. Spring Valley had already subdivided and sold much of its land east of the lake to
private developers. Once water was available from Hetch Hetchy and efficient public
transportation routes were in place, the region experienced remarkable rates of growth (Westfall,
1999).
One of the most significant morphological changes to occur at Lake Merced during this
time was the development of the new campus at San Francisco State. Historically, the
easternmost arm of Lake Merced extended 300+ yards to the east of its present location, beneath
what is now the lower parking structure on the northwestern part of the SFSU campus. Above
this point, a perennial stream flowed down through a canyon, which had incised 75 feet deep into
Figure 6. The 100-year old Vista Grande diversion canal carries runoff from the Westlake District of Daly City along the south side of John Muir Drive, to an outlet tunnel to the sea. Historically, this water would empty into Lake Merced. The return of treated runoff to the lake would help to restore a portion of the lake’s historic watershed. Photo by David Freitag.
11
the marine terrace on its way down
to the lake. This canyon was
dramatically filled in, creating three
level, buildable surface areas for the
new campus. The Cox Stadium
exists above what was once the
deepest part of this canyon. In
1948, another 10 acres of the
eastern lake was filled in, in order
to straighten the course of Lake
Merced Boulevard. Today, the
SFSU tennis courts occupy this
reclaimed land about 31 feet above
sea level (Westfall, 1999). All of
the surface streams were diverted into underground culverts, which flow south to the Vista
Grande diversion channel. During this time period, virtually all of the farm and grazing lands
that surrounded Lake Merced on the north, east, and southeast were converted to urban
residential and commercial land uses. By 1955, the lake environment appeared much as it does
to this day.
Figure 7. Area of the SFSU campus in 1935. Lake Merced Blvd. bisects the easternmost arm of the lake. To the east, 19th Avenue beheads the top of the canyon. Housing develops in the Ingleside District on property subdivided and sold by the Spring Valley Water Co. (Westfall, 1999).
Harding Park G
olf Course
East Lake Merced 19
th A
ve
SFSU
lake canyon
stream
Figure 8. 1943. The canyon is filled to make way for the new campus facilities. The creek is culverted. Development begins at Parkmerced above the lake’s primary groundwater recharge zone (Westfall, 1999).
Figure 9. 1955. Reorientation of Lake Merced Blvd. reclaims 10 acres of wetlands and replaces it with ball fields and tennis courts. All runoff east of here is directed away from the lake. Stonestown property is developed (Westfall, 1999).
ING
LESIDE
12
Historic Reservoir Use
From the period of 1875-1935, the Spring Valley Water Company maintained fairly
consistent water levels at Lake Merced. Examination of their historical archives shows that they
were pumping less water from the table annually than was flowing into it via groundwater
recharge. Delivery of water pumped from the Lake Merced area grew from approximately 295
mg/y (million gallons per year) in 1877, to 1,588 mg/y in 1887, to 1,774 mg/y in 1902 (Matuk &
Salcedo, 2000).
In 1940, the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department was given management
jurisdiction over the lands immediately
surrounding the lake. From 1940-1980, the
lake was successfully managed as one of
the most popular and healthy urban trout
fisheries in the nation. Hundreds of people
could be seen lining the banks of Lake
Merced on the weekends for fishing and
recreation purposes (Plummer, 2001).
Analysis of Groundwater Models
Lake levels would vary seasonally,
a natural response to changes in
precipitation. However, in the early 1980s,
the level of the lake began a slow, steady
decline. Following period of heavy
precipitation during the winter of 1982-83, it was observed that the lake level did not respond
with an appropriate net increase. In fact, the level of the lake responded with only a fractional
increase, suggesting a potential instability. As a result, in 1988, the San Francisco Water
Department commissioned its first study by the US Geological Survey of the Westside Basin
Aquifer. The study showed an average net loss of water, most likely the result of significant
pumping from the aquifer in the vicinity of Lake Merced (Yates, et al, 1990).
The 1988 USGS groundwater study estimated the amount of movement of water between
Lake Merced and the surrounding shallow aquifer system. It employed Darcy’s Law, which
states “ground-water flow is proportional to hydraulic conductivity, cross-sectional flow, and
Figure 10. Lake Merced as it appears today. Over the last century, diversions, filling, and urbanization have reduced the size of the watershed from a historic 6350 acres to just 650 acres of land immediately surrounding the lake. Drawing by Nancy Morita, 1992.
13
water-level gradient” (Yates, et al, 1990).
Inflow was measured using flow tubes at
well sites around the lake. Outflow was
measured taking into account factors of
evaporation, pumping records and surface
outflow. No natural surface outflow has
been recorded since 1895, when the North
Lake dam was completed.
Over the last 10 years, at least 3
different groundwater modeling projects have been conducted at Lake Merced. None have been
able to accurately predict the movement of water between the lake and the shallow, underground
aquifer. However, the initial 1988 study performed by the USGS is the most comprehensive.
Examination of the data from all the models reveals a complex network to transport groundwater
between Lake Merced and the shallow aquifer. It appears as if the sections of the lake are
actually the surface exposure of a shallow aquifer, separated by a layer of impermeable clay from
a larger, deeper aquifer (Matuk & Salcedo, 2000).
A later USGS report of 1990 presents that Lake Merced contained about 1.2 billion
gallons of surface water as of 1988 (Yates, et al, 1990). Recent reports from the water
subcommittee of the Lake Merced Task Force reveal that there
are over 140 wells of varying depths drilled into the Westside
aquifer. Of these, less than 1/2 are listed as active, with around
one third equipped with flow meters. Many older wells that
irrigate portions of the Harding Park Golf Course and Olympic
Club are drilled to depths of less than 100’. At that depth, these
tap into the shallow aquifer, which is directly connected to Lake
Merced (LMTF, 2001).
Today, 4 different municipalities draw inexpensive
groundwater from the Westside Basin for their municipal drinking
water. Sixteen cemeteries and 4 golf courses also pump water for
irrigation. According to the reports of the water committee, an
estimated 9 million gallons/day is being extracted from the
Figure 11. Cross-section of the Westside Basin aquifer beneath Lake Merced (Matuk & Salcedo, 2000).
Figure 12. Old SF municipal irrigation wells at Harding Park. Photo by David Freitag.
14
Westside Basin. Of this, about 4 million gallons/day is
used for drinking water by the cities of Daly City, San
Bruno and Colma. The 1990 USGS hydrologic model
shows that in 1988, return flow to the Lake Merced area
of the aquifer via rainfall, runoff and leaking water pipes
averaged about 371 million gallons/year (Yates, et al,
1990). It is also assumed that due to the porous nature of
the overlying sands of the Merced and Colma
formations, a significant portion of the water used for
irrigation makes its way back down into the water table.
However, this data shows that, at present extraction rates,
the aquifer is providing the peninsula with over three
billion gallons of water annually, an equivalent of three
times the 1988 volume of Lake Merced, while only a
fraction is being returned via groundwater recharge
(Yates, et al, 1990).
The 1990 USGS report projects that if
groundwater pumping for irrigation of the 4 golf courses in the immediate area of Lake Merced
was stopped, the water level would rise approximately 4 to 5 feet. Clearly, the combined effect
of these dramatic rates of pumping for irrigation has placed excessive demands on the capacity
of the aquifer to maintain equilibrium (Yates, et al, 1990).
Political Climate
Since 1993, the Friends of Lake Merced, a non-profit organization, has been working
with community groups and local governments to address the growing concerns about Lake
Merced. In 1999, the Lake Merced Task Force was formed as an advisory commission to the
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, manager of the waters of Lake Merced. The water
subcommittee of the Task Force recently updated the hydrologic model, confirming the
projections of previous models. The Task Force passed a resolution recommending that the San
Francisco and Daly City Public Utilities Commissions issue a moratorium on the development of
any new wells in the immediate vicinity of Lake Merced. Furthermore, the Task Force is
encouraging well operators to begin working with the Daly City Municipal Water District to
Table 1. Water budget for two sampled sections of the Westside Basin aquifer, water year 1988. Values are in acre/feet per year. Study conducted by US Geological Survey (Yates, et al, 1990).
15
implement the use of reclaimed water for all non-potable purposes in the Westside Basin area.
These policies have spawned new rounds of political debate between golf course operators and
the Friends of Lake Merced.
Golf course managers claim over 100 years of legal use of their wells, which is true.
They are against the higher costs of buying tertiary treated water from municipal sources. The
San Francisco and Daly City water districts are unwilling to bear the cost to upgrade municipal
water treatment plants for irrigation projects at the private golf courses. Interestingly, San Mateo
and San Francisco Counties are the only two urbanized counties in all of California that do not
have reclaimed water irrigation programs in place (Plummer, et al, 2001).
In January 2001, California Trout, another non-profit, filed a petition with the State
Water Resources Control Board and Department of Health against the 16 cemeteries and 4 golf
courses that pump groundwater for irrigation. The petition charges that even though they claim
legal right to use the water, it is illegal to jeopardize the public water supply. CalTrout hopes to
avoid a protracted legal battle by settling out of court.
Most parties understand that changes need to be made much sooner than later, or the
lake’s shallow aquifer faces potential exhaustion by as early as 2009 (Plummer, et al, 2001).
Proposals for the Future
The results of a decade of
groundwater modeling projects
and hydrologic assessments all
point to the fact that Lake Merced
is deteriorating in quality and
gradually drying up. It is also
commonly accepted that the
Westside Basin aquifer is being
heavily over drafted in the
vicinity of Lake Merced with too
little recharge from the now
urbanized watershed. Surface runoff that does make it into the lake is heavily laden with toxic
sediments. Petroleum-based compounds from surface streets along with chemicals and fertilizers
applied to the golf courses and cemeteries also run directly into the lake. The lake’s decreased
Figure 13. Chemical spreading equipment and storage shed at Harding Park maintenance yard. Photo by David Freitag.
16
volume concentrates these pollutants, thereby endangering aquatic organisms and jeopardizing
the lake’s status as an emergency supply of public drinking water.
It is essential that the groundwater overdraft be
addressed to maintain long-term stability of the
environment. Alternatives must be explored and
implemented to reduce the pollutant runoff into the lake
such as outfitting storm drains terminating in the lake with
chemical-free filtration systems.
Water from the Vista Grande Diversion Canal
could be treated and then directed back into the lake. This
would return a portion of the original surface runoff to the
lake, thereby re-incorporating a significant portion of the
lake’s historic watershed. Ideally, the SFPUC and the
Lake Merced Task Force could begin working with the
community to explore ways of reintroducing surface water
back into the lake’s groundwater recharge zone. One way to achieve this would be to encourage
private homeowners to limit the amount of impervious concrete surfaces around their homes.
The installation of greenways in the medians of wide residential streets would also facilitate
movement of rainfall back into the ground.
Additionally, the cities of San Francisco and Daly City must work together to implement
the use of recycled water. All fresh water remaining in the ground should be designated for
municipal drinking water only. Antiquated legal claims to this groundwater for the irrigation of
private golf courses and cemeteries is an outdated practice that will endanger the health of the
public water supply. The cities have a responsibility to work with these heavy consumers to
implement conversion to recycled water as soon as possible. Those with private wells can
voluntarily waive their rights and phase in the use of treated wastewater for irrigation, or face the
potential of their municipalities enacting laws restricting those rights. Albeit reluctantly, the
entire community must help to absorb these costs, rather than face the risk of salt-water intrusion
and thus total loss of the aquifer.
Figure 14. Storm drains managed by CalTrans drain untreated runoff directly into the west end of Lake Merced. The drains used to discharge eight feet below the water line. Photo by David Freitag.
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Today, Lake Merced can be seen as the “canary in the coal mine” for the health of the
entire Westside Basin aquifer. If nothing is done to reverse the effects of a century of human-
induced morphologic change, the region will be faced with the loss of one of its most precious
resources.
Figure 15. Looking west form the Sunset Bridge, a lone kayaker and shorebird share the calm waters of North Lake. The future of Lake Merced’s existence remains uncertain. Photo by David Freitag.
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References
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Report. San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Clifton, H. E., Hunter, R.E., and Gardner, J.V. 1988. "Analysis of Eustatic, Tectonic, and
Sedimentologic Influences on Transgressive and Regressive Cycles in the Late Cenozoic Merced Formation." In:New Perspectives in Basin Analysis. Paola, C., and Kleinspehn, K.L., eds. New York: Springer-Verlag, pp. 109-128.
Donetz, Anthony, 1999. “UCSB Campus Lagoon Website.” Accessed: 4.20.2001. http://www.engineering.ucsb.edu/~donetz/lagoon.html Fahy, Neil E. 1974. "Origin of Lake Merced." California Geology: August 1974. Geo/Resource Consultants, Inc.,1993. Lake Merced Water Resources Planning Study.
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Holzman, Barbara, ed., 2000. “The Biogeography of Lake Merced.” Accessed:
2.24.2001. http://bss.sfsu.edu/envstudies/lakemerced/LakeMerced(frames)/ Kjerfve, Bjorn, ed., 1994. Coastal Lagoon Processes. New York: Elsevier Science B.V. Konigsmark, Ted, 1998. Geologic Trips: San Francisco and the Bay Area. Gualala,
California: GeoPress. Lake Merced Task Force, 2000. “Report to the Lake Merced Task Force by the Water
Subcommittee, Sept. 28, 2000.” San Francisco: Lake Merced Task Force. Matuk, Vivian and Salcedo, Nicholas, 2000. “Lake Merced Hydrology and Water
Quality.” The Biogeography of Lake Merced. (website) Accessed: 4.20.01. http://bss.sfsu.edu/envstudies/lakemerced/LakeMerced(frames)/
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http://www.museumca.org/creeks/SFTopoCreeks.html Pethick, John, 1984. An Introduction to Coastal Geomorphology. Baltimore: Edward Arnold. Plummer, John, Gary Seput, and David Dawdy, 2001. “Lake Merced in Trouble.” San
Francisco Chronicle, March 5, 2001, p. A23.
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Spring Valley Water Company Archives. An online collection of the U.C. Berkeley Bancroft Library. Accessed: 2.2.2001 http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/Eart/digital/springvalley.html
Swift, Donald and Harold Palmer, eds., 1978. Coastal Sedimentation. Stroudsberg, PA:
Dowden, Hutchinson, & Ross, Inc. Westfall, John, 1999. San Francisco State University: An Air-Photo History of the Lake
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