Bay Model is a working, 1.5-acre hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta System. Started in 1957, the model is a project of the US Army Corps of Engineers, and was built to better understand how the various bays and estuaries of the San Francisco Bay interact.
The research department of the Bay Model was closed in 2000, but the model continues to operate as a public education center. As the mission of the Bay Model moves away from scientific research and more toward interpretation and education, the Visitor Center and staff continues to provide public programs focusing on water policy and environmental issues relevant to the Bay and Delta regions.
Entry to Bay Model is free of charge. The facility includes a series of educational exhibits about water dynamics in California, the impact of human society on our waterways and wetlands, and the importance of maintaining a healthy watershed. There is a short video that explains the history of Bay Model and its impact on the development of the San Francisco Bay.
Most fascinating, however, is the model itself, which spans the area of two football fields. The tide runs at 100 times the normal speed, so you can watch the tide come in and out of the bay in just under 15 minutes! This exhibit is a must for biologists, ecologists, environmentalists, farmers, fishermen, and anyone who cares where our precious rainwater ends up.
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