CCC to Hear Controversial Lagoon ‘Restoration’ Plan Permit Request

BY BILL KOENEKER

The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to hear a request by the State Department of Parks and Recreation for permission to bulldoze 88,700 cubic yards of cut and fill in Malibu Lagoon as part of a restoration project at its meeting in San Luis Obispo.

The plans call for recontouring/reconfiguring slopes and drainages to increase the hydrologic flow by excavating 51,200 cubic yards of muddy wetlands and grading 37,500 cubic yards of fill, according to the permit proposal.

The restoration also involves revegetating with native wetland and upland plant species and removal of non-native plant species, the construction of a public access trail around the lagoon with new interpretive public informational and educational improvements and implementation of a long-term lagoon monitoring plan.

The commission staff is recommending approval of the proposal with 16 special conditions.

The CCC staff wants to establish conditions on construction and timing and wants surveys of sensitive species.

Another condition involves requiring erosion control plans. The staff also wants the timing, operations and maintenance responsibilities detailed.

 A final dewatering plan should be put in place and a hydrological monitoring plan is also required.

A habitat (plant communities) vegetation, restoration monitoring and reporting plan would also be required.

An aquatic vegetation, benthos, fish and avian monitoring plan should be provided and plans conforming to the geo- technical engineer's recommendations are also required.

The staff report states that herbicide use, discharge requirements and removal of excavated material shall be detailed.

The project includes dewatering the western 12-acre portion of the lagoon and grading the slopes and drainages within that portion.

No excavation or recontouring will occur within the main channel of the lagoon, according to the CCC staff report.

A removable north-south beam is planned to temporarily separate the western lagoon area from the main lagoon.  All excavated material will be stockpiled on site, including at the recently refurbished and reconstructed parking lot.

Critics maintain that State Parks cannot guarantee what will happen to the existing aquatic wildlife and the protected species, such as tidewater goby and steelhead trout.

Somewhat downplaying those concerns, the CCC staff report indicates the project does raise issues “relating to the disruption of the current lagoon habitat.”

“Although the restoration project may have short term construction-related impacts, the restoration activities are intended to enhance the long-term value and function of the Malibu Lagoon ecosystem. Several special conditions are recommended [by the commission staff] to ensure that the proposed restoration is successful,” the CCC report goes on to state.

The first special condition requires that an environmental resources specialist be present during all construction, grading, excavating, vegetation eradication, removal and hauling activities.

Another special condition requires a final dewatering plan to assure the proper protection and relocation techniques for tidewater goby, steelhead and other important aquatic species.

Water quality must be protected and the project should be followed up by bi-annual monitoring and annual reports for at least five years for hydrology, plant community revegetation, aquatic vegetation, fish, and avian species, the staff reports state.

The project’s proponents argue that  Malibu Lagoon has undergone numerous changes and that the restoration would improve water flow and habitat.

The wetlands were reportedly used as a fill dump site by Cal Trans and others in the 1950s and ’60s.

By the late 1970s, the lagoon was largely filled and occupied baseball fields.