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| Recent Events, Updates & Future Events |
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Event Log |
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| April 20, 2006 - The dredge ladder breaks, causing several days of no dredging or ebb shoal construction. | ||
| April 18, 2006 - USFWS Project Manager is awarded an Environmental Achievement Award from the Environmental Protection Agency Region IX for wetland restoration work, particularly Bolsa Chica. | ||
| April 16, 2006 - Several thousand Elegant Terns are moving between Bolsa Chica and Anaheim Bay in coastal Orange County. Decoys on the Bolsa Chica nest site 1 occasionally attract their attention but there is no nesting, yet. | ||
| April 15, 2006 - The OC Register publishes a Bolsa Chica article about restricted access and trespass titled: "MARSH ACCESS TRIMMED" | ||
| April 11, 2006 - First Snowy Plover nest of the breeding season at Bolsa Chica was discovered, weeks later than usual, possibly due to cool weather and late rain events. | ||
| April 5, 2006 - Inlet work continues: north and south jetty stone placement, excavation of sand from under the PCH bridge. PCH bridge railings are being completed. | ||
| March 30, 2006 - Survey of breeding Belding's savannah sparrow at Bolsa Chica shows higher numbers of breeding pairs than the 2004 pre-project survey and slightly above the 16-year average. | ||
| March 29, 2006 - Casting of the Oil Service Bridge deck has been completed. | ||
| March 23, 2006 - Pouring the concrete for the Oil Service Bridge deck begins. | ||
| March 21, 2006 - The permanent fence between the restored wetlands and the houses on the east side is completed. No Trespass and Wildlife Habitat signs will now be posted. | ||
| March 18, 2006 - The teflon-coated rebar used to reinforce the concrete of the oil service bridge deck gives the bridge a bright purple appearance. The State beach multiuser trail is relocated onto the new PCH bridge deck. | ||
| March 15, 2006 - State Lands Commission solicits interest from organizations potentially interested in being the long-term land manager following completion of construction. | ||
| March 6, 2005 - The lone burrowing owl disappears. | ||
| February 28, 2006 - North jetty construction begins on the beach with the excavation of sand from the jetty footprint. | ||
| February 22, 2006 -The Pocket culvert east headwall construction begins. | ||
| February 15, 2006 - The dredge production rate continues slower than predicted, due in part to equipment breakdowns, underwater obstacles, storm waves. | ||
| February 8, 2006 - A transient burrowing owl has been seen regularly in the pickleweed of the muted tidal area. | ||
| January 30, 2006 - Connector Channels and culverts under roads within the muted tidal area are nearly complete. | ||
| January 27, 2006 - The abutment walls for the Oil Service Bridge have been cast and the forms for this bridge deck are being assembled in preparation of pouring the OSB bridge deck. | ||
| January 25, 2006 - the DFG repair of the parking lot off PCH and foot bridge across Inner Bolsa Bay is completed and they are once again open to public. However, the eastern end of the footbridge and the eastern half of the loop trail will remain closed until at least April, as the restoration project work along that edge and on the overlooks is completed. | ||
| January 20, 2006 - Placement of straw wattle and hydroseeding (using native upland plant seeds) of levee slopes is nearly completed. | ||
| January 18, 2006 - Restoration project managers provided a project update to the City of Huntington Beach Public Works Commission | ||
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January 14, 2006 - The berm over the
groundwater barrier insertion is rebuilt but not finish graded.
Cutting/damage to the temporary security fence at the property boundary
next to the residences is chronic and trespass into the construction area
and oil field is significant, at times. |
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| January 9, 2006 - The PCH bridge deck is completed. All lanes of PCH traffic have been rerouted out of the detour and up onto the new bridge deck. The railings and the State Beach multiuser trail will be finished in a few weeks. Removal of the detour pavement and fill follows in the next couple of days. Aera Energy continues sampling and preparing for cleanup of contamination in the oil field area. | ||
| January 3, 2006 - A 40-year-old ground water monitoring well, 80 feet deep, is seen to be artesian and flowing fresh water, suggesting the deeper aquifer is pumped up. Project monitoring wells, 30 feet deep, are not performing in this manner. | ||
| January 1, 2006 - Audubon Christmas count found 116 species and more than 22,000 individuals, mostly shorebirds and waterfowl | ||
| December 22, 2005 - The dredge was forced to stop pumping sand from the Full Tidal Basin out to the beach for many days due to large waves. A 2500' section of the black plastic dredge pipe was torn loose from its anchors, broken in pieces, and spread around the nearshore zone. One particular piece was seen occasionally from shore and thought to be a whale in shallow water. | ||
| December 7, 2005 - The groundwater extraction system (wells, pipe headers, pump vault and pumps, power, discharge line) is nearly complete. The dredge continues to pump sand to the ebb shoal, probably into March 2006. The Full Tidal Basin is mostly covered by seawater pumped in from Inner Bolsa Bay to keep the dredge floating. | ||
| December 6, 2005 - PCH bridge deck falsework and forms are completed, in preparation for the first concrete pour for the bridge deck. PCH approach ramps to the bridge are complete and are being paved with asphalt. | ||
| December 2, 2005 - Finish grading of the cordgrass shelf is completed. About 800 hundred pintail ducks and 400 shoveler ducks, thousands of western sandpiper and other shorebirds are hanging around Bolsa Chica. Five coyotes were seen in the south end. | ||
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November 23, 2005 - Driving of groundwater
barrier plastic sheet piles is completed. The three main culverts linking
the Full Tidal Basin to the Muted Tidal Areas are completed. |
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| November 14, 2005 - Oil Service Bridge pile driving is completed. Cutoff of OSB pilings begins. | ||
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November 10, 2005 - The groundwater barrier
pump vault is installed. |
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November 7, 2005 - Construction of channels
and small culverts under roads in the Muted Tidal Area begin. Straw wattle
for erosion control on levee sides begins. |
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| October 16, 2005 - Dredge spill barge and tender are onstation outside the surfzone of south Bolsa Chica State Beach and the dredge is beginning to discharge the sand from the full tidal basin. The temporary traffic signal on Pacific Coast Highway at the north end of the project detour will be made operational from now until about June to allow for construction access and rock hauling to the construction impoundment on the beach while the PCH bridge and approaches are also constructed. | ||
| October 11, 2005 - 50-100 white pelicans are feeding and foraging in Inner Bolsa Bay. The groundwater barrier sheet pile driving has begun along the eastern project edge. The drilling of groundwater extraction wells along the inland property line has begun. | ||
| September 26, 2005 - Driving of PCH bridge piles (260 piles in 14 bents) is completed and the cranes are moved back across the PCH detour to begin driving the piles for the oil service bridge. | ||
| September 23, 2005 - The electric dredge and discharge pipe are onsite. Pumping enough seawater into the tidal basin to float the dredge is beginning. Earthmoving using dry land equipment within the full tidal basin has concluded. Abutment, revetment, and retaining wall construction along PCH west side have begun. Construction of the PCH bridge deck also begins. About 50 black skimmer breeding pairs are still active on the south tern island in Inner Bolsa Bay. | ||
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September 20, 2005 - The PCB cleanup on the
Fieldstone property is completed. A temporary safety fence is in place on
the east side of the Fieldstone property. The construction of the ground
water barrier (subterranean plastic sheet piles) and related groundwater
extraction wells and pumps is beginning. (Once the groundwater barrier is
finished, a permanent security fence will be placed along the west/seaward
side of the new berm.) Rebuilding of the DFG boardwalk has begun and the
DFG loop trail parking lot off PCH is closed. |
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| August 23, 2005 - Removal of PCB contamination from the Fieldstone property began under Dept. of Toxic Substances oversight. The dredge subcontractor (Ross Island) is mobilizing and assembling the dredge discharge pipe to be used to pump clean sand out to the beach. The powerline facility for the electric dredge is under construction. (Seawater will be pumped into the excavated area of the tidal basin to float the dredge in middle September.) About 1/3 of the PCH bridge pilings have been driven. Rock for the jetties and revetments is stockpiled on the beach near the bridge pilings. | ||
| Aug 15, 2005 Removal of PCBs from the Fieldstone property gets underway. The sand cap on nest site 2 is completed. | ||
| Aug 1, 2005 All of the oil field contamination has been removed from the Full Tidal Basin. About 80% of the silts and clays (excluded areas) have been removed from the Full Tidal Basin, leaving clean sand for the dredge in the Fall. Rock deliveries have allowed the placement of about 70% of the rock lining of the Full Tidal Basin inside the inlet. | ||
| July 13, 2005 The State Lands Commission and the seller signed the purchase and sale agreement for the 42 acre Fieldstone Property, allowing the PCB cleanup and wetland restoration to proceed there. | ||
| July 9, 2005 Snowy plover nest hatchings brought the number of active nests down to two. There are lots of snowy plover chicks in the seasonal ponds. Perhaps, 20,000 elegant terns are nesting on the North Tern Island of Inner Bolsa. Over 120 California least tern nests on South Tern Island. | ||
| June 29, 2005 About 11 acres of iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis) was removed from the muted tidal, Future Full Tidal, and seasonal pond areas to allow native salt marsh plants to reoccupy the area previously smothered by the non-native plant. Casting of large culverts (middle and eastern) began. They will allow seawater to ebb and flow into the muted tidal area from the Full Tidal Basin. | ||
| June 9, 2005 A steady increase in snowy plover nest initiations brought the total number of active nests to 20. Problems with a rock quarry subcontractor led to changing to more reliable rock suppliers for jetty stones and erosion protection on some levees. | ||
| May 9, 2005 After an early peak of 12 active nests in April, snowy plover nest hatchings brought the number of active nests down to seven. Piling casting problems slowed down the production rate and virtually stopped PCH bridge pile driving. Earth moving in the Full Tidal Basin at a fast pace. | ||
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April 28, 2005 Hauling of pilings and jetty stone to the construction site has been delayed a few weeks. Eight-inch-thick concrete was removed from the inlet area. It was the 1920-30 vintage highway pavement, complete with lane striping. Another abandoned, unclaimed pipeline in the PCH right of way was removed. Hauling of contaminated material offsite from the tidal basin is complete. Nest site 3 is almost complete. Culverts to connect the full tidal basin to the muted tidal area are under construction. The temporary traffic signal on Pacific Coast Highway is under construction. It rained again, slowing the earthwork, that is, excavation of "excluded material" and placement and compaction of it into levees. |
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| April 4, 2005 All Pacific Coast highway traffic lanes are in the detour. Cyclists are encouraged to divert to the State Beach multiuser trail for a few months. The Seapoint Avenue traffic signal is in operation. Rock and bridge piling hauling into the project area is beginning. Hauling of slightly contaminated material offsite is mostly completed. Snowy Plovers have begun their nesting season. Excavation and transport of fine-grained soil to nest sites and levee sections continues now that the rains have stopped. | ||
| February 16, 2005 About 140 groundwater wells and many pumps are in operation to dewater the earthwork locations. Tractors and scrapers, and bulldozers are moving faster to excavate, move, and place soil during the dry, sunny days. The southernmost Bolsa Chica State Beach parking lot has been fenced and pavement demolished to prepare for the work there. | ||
| January 26, 2005 Huntington Beach "Townhall" project update and Q&A | ||
| January 14, 2005 Extraordinary rainfall overwhelmed the dewatering effort, causing cessation of most earthwork until the wells and pumps can get the excess water out of the work area. Although delayed by the rain, the PCH detour cutover of the northbound lanes is in place. The temporary traffic signal at the Project entrance gate on Seapoint Avenue is under construction. | ||
| December 30, 2004 A whipstock oil well broke down Dec 15, causing a stoppage in the PCH detour construction. Rain events and the holidays slowed the earthmoving and compaction of soils from the full tidal basin into levee sections and nest sites. | ||
| November 29, 2004, construction activities: clearing and grubbing is nearly complete, fencelines have been modified, dewatering and stormwater management have begun, public access is restricted around the edges, excavation of fine muds and slightly contaminated soils are in progress, construction of nest sites and some levee sections has begun. The Pacific Coast Highway detour is under construction. | ||
| November 24, 2004 Aera Energy LLC, has completed the abandonment of 64 oil wells and removal of all of the oil field infrastructure, from the full tidal basin. This includes removal of 121,454 linear feet of surface piping, 2,754 tons of concrete rubble, 10,302 pipe supports, 73,542 feet of sub-surface piping, and 13 miles of delineation ditches. The project cost share was about $4 million. | ||
| October 22, 2004 A fish roundup was conducted. As Cell 3 was dewatered, fish were gathered with nets and released into Inner Bolsa. There were lots of topsmelt, gobies, and pipefish, some longjawed mudsuckers, killifish, round stingrays, and large yellowfin croaker and about 20 tired, wet, muddy, humans and many well-fed fish eating birds. | ||
| October 6, 2004 - Ground Breaking Ceremony (pdf) (123 KB) | ||
| September 20, 2004 - Restoration Project study session with Huntington Beach City Council | ||
| September 3, 2004 - Dry gas line relocation within Bolsa Chica completed. City of Long Beach owns the transmission line and Sempra/SoCal Gas Co. operates it. | ||
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September 1, 2004 - The construction contracts are begun. Moffatt and Nichol Engineers is construction manager. Kiewit Pacific Company is the construction contractor. |
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| August 18, 2004 - The oil field operator reports oil well removal in the full tidal basin is 94% complete and the oil line removal is about 74% complete. | ||
| July 29, 2004 - Construction Contractors bid proposals submitted. | ||
| July 28, 2004, OC Register publishes front page "Bolsa Chica's return" project update | ||
| July 19, 2004 - SOCAL gas line relocation begins. | ||
| July 14, 2004 - Test pit excavations for potential contractors. | ||
| June 21, 2004 - Pre-bid construction site tour for potential construction contractors. | ||
| June 04, 2004 - Solicitation of Construction Constructor Proposals begins. | ||
| May 20, 2004 - Amigos de Bolsa Chica host townhall meeting on Restoration Project. | ||
| April 9, 2004 - Moffatt & Nichol, Design Contractor, delivers 95% plans and specs. | ||
| February 5, 2004 - Pre-bid conference for potential construction contractors. | ||
| January 30, 2004 - KPCC Public Radio Records Segment on Restoration Project. | ||
| October 2003 - Removal of Oil wells and Pipelines in full tidal basin begins. | ||
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