ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : A Balancing Act in Irvine

The preservation and restoration of wetlands is a hot topic in environmental circles. It is seen as a way of retaining ecological balance and stemming overdevelopment. The sprawling 580-acre San Joaquin Marsh in Irvine, one of Southern California’s largest freshwater wetlands, is in for just such an overhaul--good news for UC Irvine, the nearby corporate parks and surrounding residential areas.

Years of urban runoff and environmental neglect have damaged the marsh’s fragile nature. But it has in its corner the right combination of benefactors--the city of Irvine, the California Coastal Conservancy and the university. They have hired consultants to devise a strategy to improve the marsh. The result is a $10-million-to-$12-million plan to construct channels, wells and levees to restore water and to filter pollutants from runoff. Another goal is to create hiking and biking trails and restore wildlife.

This ought to be satisfactory, but trouble is brewing in planned paradise because Irvine city officials, now developing their own plan, aim to get more recreational uses out of the area. In particular, they want more elevated hiking trails.

This goal has run afoul of some state and federal wildlife officials who worry that too much expansion of trails would be incompatible with a marsh preserve and that wildlife would be disturbed. Both the consultants’ plan and the city version are to be presented Tuesday for the City Council to consider, with no decision expected right away.

This is a nice dilemma to have, of course. The question is one of degree for these 580 acres. The national debate, by contrast, has centered on the disappearance of wetlands, not the extent of improvement. The broad consensus arises from the marsh’s location in environmentally sensitive Irvine, with its nearby university, environmentally alert companies and residents who dutifully recycle.

But balance is the key. The city should take care that it does not reach for too much and thereby damage the delicate open space. City Councilman Barry J. Hammond says the city modifications “are not all that significant.” But the early objections raised by the Coastal Conservancy, the university and officials of the state Department of Fish and Game should be taken seriously.

Irvine has substantial new residential development on the planning board. However, it should be careful that it does not cause harm to sensitive lands in a well-intentioned effort to expand the local recreational base.