History (Codornices & Village Creeks)

Codornices Creek is a year-round creek that flows east-west through the southern edge of University Village, Albany. It drains a 1.1 square mile watershed that historically entered a tidal marsh just west of the UPRR tracks. Codornices Creek is one of the most "open" creeks in the East Bay, with only 20 percent of its channel culverted. This makes it a prime candidate for restoration activities.

Codornices is the Spanish word for quails and is pronounced “coh-door-nee-sus”, though many locals say “core-duh-nee-sus.”

For more information about Codornices Creek visit the Friends of Five Creeks website.

Village Creek flows east-to-west through the northern end of University Village, Albany. Historically, it formed the downstream reach of Marin Creek, which was culverted almost entirely along its length in the early 20th century. Now it is mostly a seasonal creek that carries only stormwater flows.