Creating Wetlands

by Laurence J. Purcell, Program Manager; San Diego County Water Authority, San Diego, CA,
Thomas D. Johnson, Program Manager; San Diego County Water Authority, CA,


Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1992, Vol. 62, Issue 8, Pg. 36-37


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

In the coming decades, many U.S. ports will require expansion and upgrading. Port officials must plan on mitigating the adverse impacts to local habitats. The restoration or creation of wetlands provides a viable form of mitigation for such projects. A 116-acre wetland restoration project at the National Wildlife Refuge in Seal Beach, Calif. is benefitting local wildlife and allowing the Port of Long Beach to expand. In 1984, Port officials proposed the construction of a 146-acre landfill. The landfill, however, would harm coastal wildlife resources through the loss of marine habitat. The California Environmental Quality Act required a mitigation plan, along with the issuance of the necessary U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, California Coastal Commission, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Harbor Development permits. The Port and a consortium of agencies had previously mitigated for harbor landfills by restoring several degraded areas (through improvements to water and habitat quality) at Upper Newport Bay in Newport Beach, Calif. The wetland restoration at Anaheim Bay is the first project entirely managed by Port personnel.

Subject Headings: Ports and harbors | Wetlands (coastal) | Water quality | Mitigation and remediation | Ecological restoration | Wildlife | Landfills

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