Procedural Error Blamed for Razing of Wetlands
Environmentalists are questioning the city’s ability to protect rare habitats after a housing developer bulldozed wetlands that were home to three endangered species.
City officials said Thursday that a procedural error allowed Square One Development Co. to raze wetlands near the Mira Mesa neighborhood. They ordered the company to immediately halt the bulldozing.
Square One is owned by Michael Cafagna, the mayor of Poway, about 20 miles north of San Diego.
San Diego issued a grading permit for the project late last year. The company, however, did not obtain permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to destroy the wetlands.
“These pools had the full array of species; they were just gorgeous,” said Ellen Bauder, a research professor at San Diego State University. “There is no will to save anything if people can just bulldoze a prime site like that. It’s really sickening.”
The area of vernal pools was home to the endangered San Diego fairy shrimp and two plant species: the lavender-blooming San Diego mesa mint and the coyote thistle. About two acres of the eight-acre site were razed.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a notice of violation of the Clean Water Act to Square One and is investigating the issue. Civil penalties for violating the act can reach $27,500 a day.
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