| Garrity Creek | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | California |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Contra Costa County |
| Subdivision Type5: | City |
| Subdivision Name5: | Richmond, California |
| Source1 Location: | El Sobrante, California |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 37.9803°N -122.3039°W |
| Mouth: | San Pablo Bay |
| Mouth Location: | Pinole, California |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 38.0031°N -122.3286°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 7feet |
Garrity Creek is a 3adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] creek in Richmond, California's Hilltop neighborhood. It runs into San Pablo Bay.[2] It is sometimes called Hilltop Creek.
The creek is supported by two springs, two separate legs which join into Garrity Creek in El Sobrante, California. The basin feeding this watershed was, for hundreds of years, a sacred fishing and hunting site for the Huchiun Band of the Native Ohlone at Garrity Creek & Along San Pablo Bay. Garrity Creek was a highly prized and sacred site because it provided food; acorns from tanbark, valley, coast and live oak trees, as well as buckeye trees. The Huchiun also harvested seeds, berries, greens, nuts and roots in the basin and would travel along Garrity Creek to fish for steelhead, salmon and sturgeon that swam up Garrity Creek to spawn.[3]
Major sections of the creek have been dramatically, and perhaps irrecoverably altered by development. Much of waterway to the bay is now underground; in culverts under the Hilltop Green residential development, under highway 80, and under the Hilltop Mall. Just north of the Hilltop mall, the water is retained in "Hilltop Lake". This man made lake was first created by the Standard Oil company as a recreation site for its employees in the early 1900s. This lake and area around it has now been designated as Hilltop Lake Park
For nearly 20 years, the headwaters of Garrity Creek were threatened by potential development. This was opposed by residents, neighborhood associations, the organization Friends of Garrity Creek and environmentalists. They claimed the proposed plans for developing the 10acres site were illegal since it violates county rules prohibiting construction on slopes steeper than 26feet.[4] Ultimately, the developer was forced into bankruptcy in 2010 and the creek was saved, for the time being.
In 2011, in perhaps the best possible turn of events for Garrity Creek and the watershed, a group of organic farmers purchased the 10-acre property. They have planted over 1000 fruiting trees and shrubs on the landscape in "swales" that will help protect the water quality of Garrity creek and rehydrate the groundwater that supports the springs which feed the creek.