Past Time to Curtail the Loss of Wetlands : * Mitigation Projects Are No Substitute for Real Thing

For years, Orange County developers, farmers and government agencies have been allowed to plow under or build over environmentally important wetlands areas on the promise that they would create or restore wetlands in other areas of the county. That sounds good on paper, but because of lax enforcement, “mitigation” for lost wetlands has been an unmitigated failure as public policy. Unless substantial improvements are made in enforcement and until more is known about how to create ecosystems, permits that allow the taking of wetlands should be greatly curtailed.

According to recent articles by Times staff writer Marla Cone, only a handful of the dozens of wetlands mitigation projects done so far in Orange County could be called even promising. Among them are riparian, or freshwater, projects created by the Irvine Co., the Mission Viejo Co. and the city of Anaheim.

At the other extreme, however, are projects that show few signs of life. One is a six-acre project in Mission Viejo built by a financially troubled home builder. It is so desolate that virtually nothing could live on it.

In between, there are many other projects that have fallen short. As a result, thousands of trees have died from neglect. All told, even counting the acres that are replaced by man-made wetlands, every year an estimated 50 acres of freshwater wetlands disappear in Orange County, lost to development, roads, flood-control work, agriculture and other urban impacts. This is a huge loss to the environment because wetlands are extremely important in providing feeding, breeding and rest places for a wide variety of wildlife, including migratory birds and many endangered species.

Coastal, or saltwater, wetlands have fared a little better because they are easier to restore. Many times, all that is required is to ensure that ocean water is made available to marshy areas. Among those in Orange County that have done well are Newport Bay, Anaheim Bay, Talbert Marsh and parts of Bolsa Chica. Yet, even with coastal wetlands, many restoration projects statewide have been plagued with problems.

Back on shore, however, where building wetlands is an even tougher proposition, environmentalists complain that there is minimal enforcement of mitigation agreements or inspection of sites. That means virtually no one is following through to see if these projects are succeeding.

The Army Corps of Engineers has primary enforcement responsibilities. But the last two presidential Administrations have sent a clear message to the Corps, and to the federal Environmental Protection Agency as well, that strong enforcement of environmental laws, including wetlands mitigation, is not a high priority. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or environmental groups often act as prods to get some action.

Orange County is not alone in the danger to wetlands. The National Research Council--organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916--estimates that 91% of California’s wetlands have been lost, the highest rate of any state in the nation. It highly recommends that wetlands restoration not be used as a way to offset destruction of other wetlands until more is known about what it takes to create “self-sustaining, low-maintenance ecosystems.” Even those that look as if they are thriving may turn out to be inadequate as a draw to wildlife, the research council warned.

Creating successful new wetlands is a very difficult task. Until more is known about how to do it and until there are more checks on mitigation projects, freshwater wetlands especially should not be traded away.