Lower Glenbrook Dam prior to removal of east arm
Point Reyes National Seashore completed the Glenbrook Quarry Restoration and Dam Removal Project within the Estero de Limantour during the week of October 5, 2009. The 15-foot high, 600-foot long Lower Glenbrook Dam was constructed in 1960 with material mined from the adjacent hillslopes and failed in 1982 during a major storm event. Contractors removed approximately 19,000 cubic yards of the former dam, using that material to restore the abandoned mine land features within Wilderness.
The excavation of the remaining dam from the estuary restored a priority abandoned mine land site and removed a non-conforming structure from the Phillip Burton Wilderness. The project reestablished the natural hydrologic and shoreline regime in Limantour Estero, part of the Phillip Burton Wilderness. Limantour Estero is a biologically rich estuary that was recently designated a Marine Reserve through the California Marine Life Protection Act.