The San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration project is restoring 150 acres of coastal wetland to mitigate the estimated impact on marine fish populations of the cooling water systems for San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Units 2&3. The California Coastal Commission’s (CCC) 1997 revised coastal development permit for SONGS Units 2&3 includes the wetlands restoration requirement. The San Dieguito Lagoon is located at Del Mar, just north of San Diego, California. Del Mar became the proposed project site after years of deliberation between other cities, because it presented the best opportunity to meet the objectives required by the CCC’s permits. Del Mar is a location that is in close proximity to the impacted site at SONGS.
Planning History:
Southern California Edison (SCE), representing SONGS’ owners, is working in partnership with the San Dieguito River Park Authority (JPA) to carry out the restoration project. The San Dieguito Wetland Restoration Project has been very carefully designed so that the rejuvenated lagoon will serve as a thriving fish hatchery, a refuge for migratory waterfowl and as an open space for recreational opportunities for local and regional communities alike.
| Five criteria had to be met during the initial design stages of the lagoon, according to the California Coastal Commission’s specifications: |
- The project would not cause flood water to reach any higher than ‘existing conditions,’ including the so-called 100-year flood event
- The project must maintain an open ocean inlet to the lagoon
- The project must not increase river scour (erosion caused by water flow)
- The project would not cause sand loss along the Del Mar beach
- And the project must result in at least 150 acres of restored wetlands.
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Scope of Project - Detailed Design, Engineering and Permitting Phase
Design Phase:
A public working group consisting of agency representatives, non-governmental organizations, and interested members of the public, worked towards developing a range of practical means of restoring the San Dieguito Lagoon. As required by the Permit, SCE submitted a Preliminary Restoration Plan in September 1997 which was later approved by the CCC in November 1997. Following the approval process, the wetland restoration project entered the environmental review process, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This entailed a submittal of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), completed by local, state and federal agencies including the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the San Dieguito River Park (JPA) and US Army Corps of Engineers.
The JPA certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project in September 2000, after considering extensive public comments, including recommendations of many technical experts. The adopted EIR selected and modified a Mixed Habitat Plan from five optional plans that were submitted.
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A lawsuit claiming that the project would impact the Del Mar beach delayed progress on the project for three years (2000-2003). During this time, SCE had to research in depth project design elements which were later presented in court. The arguments in court only confirmed the legitimacy of the project’s design.
Engineering Phase:
The detailed design and engineering phase of the project took place between 2003 and 2005; a Final Restoration Plan (FRP) concluded this process in November 2005, as the document fulfilled the specified Permit conditions and bestowed details of the project’s components. This Final Restoration Plan is consistent with the JPA’s Park Master Plan and the CCC’s permit requirements.
Permitting Phase:
On October 12, 2005, CCC provided SCE with a Notice of Intent to issue the Coastal Development Permit (CDP), stating that 27 special conditions were to be fulfilled prior to the beginning of construction. These conditions took one year to satisfy (2005-2006) and involved the following Permitting Agencies:
California Coastal Commission
California Department of Fish & Game
California State Lands Commission
Caltrans
City of Del Mar
City of San Diego
Regional Water Quality Control Board
United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Coast Guard
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
22nd District Agricultural Association
Scope of Project – Construction Phase:
The initial construction of the San Dieguito Lagoon finally began in the fall of 2006.
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Construction is expected to last a period of two to three years, by which time approximately 2 million cubic yards of earth will have been excavated, creating a net of 150 acres of tidal wetlands, on both sides of Interstate 5. This excavation includes the site of a former World War II US Navy blimp landing field, to the west of Interstate 5.
In the three-year construction period, one mile of berms will be built, to direct the sediment transport to the beach and to protect the area from flood-borne sediments. Four nesting sites (two east and two west of Interstate 5), will be created within the sub-tidal basin. An already existing degraded nesting site will be restored to the west of Interstate 5, to provide a safe habitat for birds, such as the endangered California Least Tern, the Belding’s Savannah Sparrow, the Snowy Plover and the Light Footed Clapper Rail.
The remaining excavated materials, not utilized for river berms or nesting sites, will be placed at the six upland disposal sites and the beach disposal site. All of the excavated material will remain on-site and biologists and archaeologists will be monitoring the site full-time.
A website featuring activities and updates on the construction site is available at: www.sdlagoon.com
A cornerstone of the project is to remove the sand that has plugged the river channel for many years and keep the tidal inlet open. 125,000 cubic yards of sand will be removed from the channel and the inlet of the San Dieguito River will be open in perpetuity. Some of this sand may be used to serve as the least tern nesting sites.
Video of Inlet Opening (Sept. 2006)
At high-tide, the wetland will support a population of snails, crabs, amphibians, small mammals, birds and provide fish a place to spawn and grow. Terrestrial animals will also be visible, such as the burrowing owl, cottontail rabbit and various reptiles.
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Future of the Wetland:
Two years following the completion of the wetland’s construction, the wetland will be fully vegetated. The clay soils will be interspersed with native salt marsh plants and a productive wetland complex will be thriving. The river park’s multi-purpose network of public trails will follow the marsh shoreline, punctuated by interpretive wildlife viewing platforms.
SCE are legally responsible to maintain the functioning wetland, to year 2050 (based upon the time lined 40 year operation license for SONGS).
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Final Restoration Plan
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JPA´s Park Master Plan
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