Bank Erosion Control with Vegetation, San Francisco Bay, California.

During 1975 to 1978, an intertidal shoreline stabilization study was conducted to determine biological means of controlling erosion. California cordgrass Spartina foliosa Trin. and mussels Ischadium demissum Dillwyn were used in San Pablo Bay and South San Francisco Bay, California. The study indicated that establishing cordgrass with seeds is not a practical method for controlling erosion. Cordgrass plugs are more useful than sprigs while the cordgrass-mussel plugs, termed bioconstructs, are the most tolerant to erosion by waves. The cordgrass-mussel community bioconstructs survived exceptionally well during the 13-month observations at Alameda Creek, a high-energy site. Once established, they are highly resistant to waves, will survive transplanting, and can be established in an area with up to a 7-kilometer fetch without wave-stilling devices. The biomass of the aerial parts of 23 natural California cordgrass marshes averaged 1,062 grams per square meter. This value is similar to those previously reported for smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora on the Atlantic coast. Author