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South San Diego Bay Coastal Wetland Restoration and Enhancement Project
Questions regarding this document or the proposed project can be directed to Victoria Touchstone at 760-431-9440 ex. 349.
Email: Victoria_Touchstone@fws.gov
Project Summary
Introduction: A Final MND and EA/IS has been prepared to meet both the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The lead agency for CEQA is the California Coastal Conservancy and the lead agency for NEPA is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Port of San Diego is a Responsible Agency under CEQA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a Cooperating Agency under NEPA.
Project Location: The proposed action involves the restoration and enhancement of approximately 280 acres of coastal wetland and upland habitats in three locations within south San Diego Bay. The three sites include: 1) 230 acres of salt ponds on the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge – South San Diego Bay Unit, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and located at the southwest corner of San Diego Bay; 2) the 60-acre Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve, managed by the Port of San Diego, and located in San Diego Bay to the west of the South Bay Power Plant; and 3) the 25-acre Emory Cove site, also managed by the Port of San Diego, and located along the western edge of San Diego Bay to the south of the Coronado Cays.
Project Description: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service San Diego National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex and the Port of San Diego propose to implement the South San Diego Bay Coastal Wetland Restoration and Enhancement Project with funding support from the California Coastal Conservancy, NOAA/NMFS through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and Coastal Program. The project included the following components:
San Diego Bay NWR, South San Diego Bay Unit. Under this component, 230 acres of existing salt ponds, located on the west side of the Otay River channel, would be restored to shallow subtidal and intertidal habitat. As a result, these ponds would be removed from the existing commercial solar salt operation, requiring the installation of a new tide gate in Pond 12, located across the Otay River channel from Pond 11, to allow continued solar salt production in the eastern ponds.
Restoration of the ponds would require approximately 150,000 cubic yards of grading to redistribute material within the ponds in a manner that will support a subtidal channel network, as well as achieve elevations suitable for supporting the desired intertidal salt marsh habitat zones (i.e., low, mid, and high marsh). An additional 50,000 cubic yards of material may be transported from the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve either by a pipeline across the bay or via trucks traveling along public roadways. With this material, additional potential habitat (cordgrass-dominated salt marsh) for the light-footed clapper rail could be provided in Pond 11.
Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve. To improve the habitat quality within the two basins on this project site, the higher tidal and supertidal areas at the south ends of the basins would be excavated to elevations appropriate for supporting low and mid salt marsh habitat. A system of tidal channels would also be created. The proposed excavation would generate approximately 50,000 cubic yards of material that could be transported to Pond 11.
Emory Cove. Restoration and enhancement of coastal wetlands and uplands at this site will involve the removal of debris throughout the site and the eradication of ice plant that covers about 3.8 acres of the site. It is anticipated that an estimated 25 tons of debris and non-native vegetation will be removed following project completion. After removal of the debris and invasive plants, native plants in container stock and native plant seeds collected from the surrounding area will be planted or distributed throughout the disturbed portions of the site.
As noticed on this site previously, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosted a Public Workshop to discuss this matter on October 8, 2009.
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Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of the
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Administrative Facility and Service Building
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(Click here to view draft Environmental Assessment) |
Sponsored
by:
Other
upcoming events are in coordination with our partners. Please
refer to their web sites for event information:
Tijuana
Estuary | Chula
Vista Nature Center
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