V-284 



SECTION 6. DESCRIPTION AND USES OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY* 



San Francisco Bay and delta comprises an extensive system of shallow 

 interconnecting channels and bays. Its water quality ranges from 

 sea water at the Golden Gate to fresh water at the upstream areas 

 of the delta suitable for a variety of uses. 



By its location and natural features the Bay system from Spanish 

 times to the present has been a hub of commerce and a defense center, 

 regional first, and national later. With growth there were added 

 the recreational values of the immediate area and the national parks 

 to which the area gave access, and the beginning of an industrial 

 sector. With post World War II development, the industrial sector 

 became a major component of the economy. 



The Bay is a single body of water, with a total area of 480 square 

 miles and a shoreline exceeding 276 miles, which receives drainage 

 from a 50,000 square mile area. Although the Bay is a single body 

 of water, its appearance varies greatly from one part to another. 

 To present an adequate or even a reasonably complete description 

 of the Bay with its massive variety in terrain, appearance, con- 

 dition, and general development is almost an impossiblity in this 

 brief discussion of management. 



^he information describing San Francisco Bay was taken from the 

 San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission Study. 

 Extensive use was made of the report entitled "San Francisco 

 Bay Plan Supplement." 



