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Pacific Southwest, Region 9

Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations

Bolsa Chica Wetland Restoration Project

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Aerial view of the Bolsa Chica wetlands as they appeared before the restoration project.

Aerial view of the Bolsa Chica wetlands as they appeared before the restoration project.

On October 6, 2004, officials from state and federal agencies and the city of Huntington Beach will join with local environmental groups to break ground for the Bolsa Chica Wetland Restoration Project – at 1,247 acres, the largest wetland restoration in Southern California history. (Event flyer (PDF) 2 pp, 269K, About PDF) Once part of an extensive wetland complex spreading from Huntington Beach to Seal Beach, Bolsa Chica remained largely undeveloped, except for oil rigs and access roads that criss-crossed the site. Much of the property remained wetlands, and supported waterfowl and shorebirds. The project is especially needed because more than 90% of Southern California's original coastal wetlands have been lost to development, making the remaining wetlands critical for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway, wildlife and fish.

Landowners proposed extensive filling for urban development starting in the 1970s, but none of the proposals received the needed permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The law allows destruction of wetlands only when there is no practicable alternative. EPA recommended alternatives to limit development to the dry upland areas of the property. These local groups have also consistently supported protecting the wetlands:

Bolsa Chica wetlands provide important habitat for egrets, blue herons, and other shorebirds.

Even in its present condition, the Bolsa Chica wetlands provide important habitat for egrets, blue herons, and other shorebirds.

In 1980, EPA began a three-year effort to carefully map the extent of the wetlands under Clean Water Act jurisdiction. This study strengthened the positions of federal agencies working to protect and restore the wetlands.

In the mid-1990s, EPA helped broker an interagency agreement to use mitigation funds from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to purchase the property and restore it. EPA was instrumental in negotiating agreements with the oil rig operators to clean up the site.

The State Lands Commission, the Coastal Conservancy and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a wetland restoration plan under the guidance of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Steering Committee – eight state and federal agencies, including EPA. The plan was subject to environmental impact studies, hearings, and much scrutiny. The $65 million project is expected to be complete in 2007.

Artist's conception of how the Bolsa Chica wetlands will look after restoration, at low tide.

Artist's conception of how the Bolsa Chica wetlands will look after restoration, at low tide.

Regulatory agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers, the California Coastal Commission, and the Regional Water Quality Control Board played significant roles, as did resource agencies such as the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, California Department of Fish and Game, Coastal Conservancy, and State Lands Commission. EPA officials recognized EPA attorney Hugh Barroll and EPA wetlands expert Tom Yocom, among others, for their outstanding work on Bolsa Chica over the past 20 years.

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