Antioch is located on , along the San Joaquin River – Stockton Deepwater Ship Channel in the western portion of the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 29.1 square miles (75 km 2 ), of which 28.3 square miles (73 km 2 ) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km 2 ) (2.52%). water.

Climate

Antioch has a semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification BSk ) with hot, dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall.

The owl controversy

In late 2008, western swarming owls ( Athene cunicularia ) moved into a 25-acre (10 ha) planned residential development called Blue Ridge, owned by Kiper Homes. The homes, developed by Kiper, are up to 3,000 square feet with five bedrooms and three-car garages. In November 2009, the California Department of Fish and Game authorized the developer to evict the owls before the nesting season begins in February 2010. The eviction is controversial because the birds have been regularly reusing burrows for years, and there is no requirement that suitable new habitat be found for the owls. Despite being listed as a species of special concern (a provisional category under the Endangered Species Act) by the California Department of Fish and Game in 1979, California’s population declined by 60 percent from the 1980s to the early 1990s and continues to decline at about 8 percent per year. In 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service nominated the western burrowing owl as a Category 2 federal candidate for listing as endangered or threatened, but habitat loss continues due to development of flat grassy lands used by the owl. According to the Point Reyes Bird Population Institute, swarming owls have declined by 50 percent in the Bay Area over the past 10 to 15 years. Their status protects them from disturbance during nesting season or killing at any time, but does not guarantee them a permanent home, as owls may be removed outside of the breeding season. In November 2009, local resident Scott Artis counted 11 owls in the area, including four pairs. Antioch is the first East Bay city to designate legally protected habitat for swarming owls, as residents pushed to protect those displaced by the Prewett Park Community Center, said local resident Dee Vieira, who led the effort. Despite organized protests by Friends of East Bay Owls on the Blue Ridge Kiper Homes property, one-way doors were installed in the bird dens to prevent owl families from returning to their nests. A study from 1992-1993 by the National Owl Foundation (NABF) and the National Owl Foundation (NABF). showed that there are no nesting swarming owls in Napa, Marin, and San Francisco counties, but only a few in San Mateo and Sonoma counties. Santa Clara County populations are declining and restricted to a few nesting sites, leaving only Alameda , Contra Costa and Solano counties as Remnant nesting habitat.