$880,000 Cleanup of Ballona Lagoon Wetlands in Venice Begins

Yellow flowers line the banks of the canal and small birds skim the surface of the still water, but beneath the placid green surface of Venice’s Ballona Lagoon wetlands, something is very wrong.

Silt, litter and broken oil pilings have clogged the rich habitat, leaving a smelly, stagnant creek that is losing its ability to support life.

After a decade of struggle, Venice activists and local leaders broke ground Thursday on the restoration of the wetlands, launching a cleanup of one of the last saltwater wetlands in a once-expansive system.

“I’m so relieved that we are actually at the point that this is happening,” said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who has championed the restoration of the 16-acre lagoon. “Our aim is that all this junk will disappear. It will be better for the wildlife, prettier for the neighbors and the visitors and just healthier overall.”

Environmentalists have faced a protracted battle trying to clean up the wetlands because part of the land was privately owned and had to be purchased by the city before any work could be done. The $880,000 project is being paid for primarily by the city and the California Coastal Conservancy, with the remainder coming from grants and private donations.

“People thought this was a swamp--they didn’t know anything about wetlands,” said Iylene Weiss, founder of the Ballona Lagoon Marine Preserve. “It just feels wonderful that this is actually happening.”

The restoration, which is expected to take several months, will begin with the removal of a broken-down concrete oil platform on the side of the lagoon. Excavation crews will dredge 5,800 cubic feet of sediment to increase the flow of the water, and workers will remove the exotic plants that have choked the banks and replace them with native vegetation.

A deep pool will be created for fish breeding and an island at the north end will be expanded with mud flat areas for birds to forage.