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Construction of the jetty at the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner, California, March 1932

Title

Construction of the jetty at the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner, California, March 1932

Creation Date (Original)

March 1932

View on Alternative Site

View photo location on the Sonoma County Historical Photos Map hosted by the City of Santa Rosa

Description

A close view of the storm-breached jetty with rail tracks hanging from the breach.

Item Format or Genre

["black-and-white photographs"]

Contributor(s) (Corporate Body)

["Sonoma County (Calif.). Surveyor's Office"]

Local History and Culture Theme

["Weather and Natural Disasters"]

Subject (Topical)

["Jetties--Design and construction","Storms"]

Digital Collection Name(s)

["Sonoma County Library Photograph Collection"]

Digital Collections Identifier

cstr_pho_042102

Item Details
Image Details

Item Details

Title

Construction of the jetty at the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner, California, March 1932

Title Statement

Sonoma County Surveyor's Office

View on Alternative Site

View photo location on the Sonoma County Historical Photos Map hosted by the City of Santa Rosa

Maps/StreetView

View location in Google Maps

Contributor(s) (Corporate Body)

["Sonoma County (Calif.). Surveyor's Office"]

Description

A close view of the storm-breached jetty with rail tracks hanging from the breach.

Biographical or Historical Note

Low summer flows on the Russian River close the mouth where it enters the Pacific Ocean at Jenner each year. The closing of the river mouth is critical for the chinook and other salmonids, which need that time to acclimate to a mixture of river and sea water before going to the ocean to feed for two year. Under ideal conditions, the mouth will be closed by a naturally forming sand bar, which lets water from the Russian River water seep out to the ocean, but keeps ocean water from coming in, but a massive rock-and-concrete jetty--1,600 feet long, 10 feet high and 40 feet across at its base--was constructed in the 1930s in an attempt to keep the river open for barge traffic. Work on the jetty began in 1929 by contractor Healy & Tibbots with $35,000 by the Russian River Improvement Co. and $35,000 by the state of California. The primary purpose was to keep the river mouth open so barges could haul out gravel from the mining operations just inside the river mouth, according to a study presented at an International Conference of Coastal Engineering in Hamburg, Germany, in 2008. The rock used as the base and for the fill of the jetty was blasted out of the distinctive Goat Rock nearby and hauled by a specially built narrow-gauge rail line to the jetty. The jetty was originally rock and timber, but much of it was destroyed in the winter of 1929-1930 and replaced by steel, rock and concrete in 1932. The jetty -- now within the boundaries of Goat Rock State Beach in Sonoma Coast State Park -- is, however, negatively impacting the critical salmonid rearing estuary. (source: Norberg, Bob. Low water levels reveal jetty at mouth of Russian River. Press Democrat, June 26, 2012. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/2317203-181/low-water-levels-reveal-jetty?artslide=0). The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a 2008 Biological Opinion that required the Sonoma County Water Agency to conduct a study on the jetty to determine if and how it impacts the formation of the sand bar (known as a "barrier beach") at the mouth of the Russian River estuary, and subsequently, the impact of the jetty on water levels in the estuary. The study, begun in March 2014 examined the effects of altering or removing the barrier in order to return the estuary to levels more favorable to salmonids. The feasibility study, released in March 2017, noted that summer-fall water level could be maintained at 7 to 9 feet above the National Geodetic Vertical Datum elevation by allowing seepage through the barrier beach and mechanically opening a channel to prevent the water level from flooding development close to the estuary waterline in Jenner (a practice initiated by the Water Agency in 2010). Several alternatives were identified, including no action, notching the jetty, removing the jetty, removing only the access elements embedded in the sand; and removing both the jetty and the access elements. The study described the both the opportunities in removing the inactive jetty as well as significant constraints and considerations, including the impact on public access, other species' habitats and the dynamic and complex beach environment that makes it difficult to accurately predict the full effects of removal. (source: Feasibility of alternatives to the goat rock state beach jetty for managing lagoon water surface elevations. Sonoma County Water Agency, March 10 2017 http://www.scwa.ca.gov/files/docs/projects/rrifr/GoatRockJettyFeasibility-Rpt-Appendices-2017-03-10_acc.pdf).

Creation Date (Original)

March 1932

Item Type

["Still image"]

Item Format or Genre

["black-and-white photographs"]

Number of Parts or Pages

1 photographic print

Other Physical Details

Black-and-white

Item Physical Dimensions

20 x 25 cm

Local History and Culture Theme

["Weather and Natural Disasters"]

Subject (Time Period)

1932

Subject (Topical)

["Jetties--Design and construction","Storms"]

Country

["United States"]

State or Province

["California"]

California County

["Sonoma"]

District

["Jenner"]

Street Address

Jenner, California

Latitude

38.451021

Longitude

-123.128825

Geocoding Status

["Approximate geocoding"]

Creator Note

The Sonoma County Surveyor's Office was located in Santa Rosa, California

Source of Title and Description Note

Title assigned by cataloger.

Reproduction Details (Physical Items)

Reproduced from negative by The Lab (400 Tesconi Circle, Santa Rosa, California), October 2014.

Original Collection Name

["Jenner Jetty collection"]

Credit line

Courtesy, Sonoma County Library

Local System Identifier

1497494

Digital Collections Identifier

cstr_pho_042102

Digital Collection Name(s)

["Sonoma County Library Photograph Collection"]

Digital Collections Area Group(s)

["Local History & Culture"]

Physical Item Barcode(s)

37565023234528 (ANNEX PHOTO 42102)

Item Call Number(s)

ANNEX PHOTO 42102

Shelving Location of Physical Item(s)

Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library, 211 E Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 http://sonomalibrary.org/locations/sonoma-county-history-and-genealogy-library

Location of Originals

Negative (in Negative file): Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library, 211 E Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 http://sonomalibrary.org/locations/sonoma-county-history-and-genealogy-library

Copyright Statement

The Sonoma County Library makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to digitized images and can claim only physical ownership of the image(s) described in this records. However, these images are intended for Personal or Research use only. Any other kind of use, including, but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Library. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use. Preferred credit line is: Courtesy, the Sonoma County Library. Please see additional reproduction and reuse information at http://sonomalibrary.org/locations/sonoma-county-history-and-genealogy-library/order-photo

Project Affiliation

Sonoma County Tourism Grant (2014-2015)

Contributing Organizations

Grant provided to the Sonoma County Library through the Sonoma County Advertising Program.

Fiscal Sponsor

Sonoma County Library, 211 E Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 (http://www.sonomalibrary. org); Sonoma County Fair & Exposition, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA 95402 (http://www.sonomacountyfair. com/) 1350 Bennett Valley Road,

Date Digitized