Coastal Panel Hears Debate on Proposed Wetlands Inlet

The California Coastal Commission on Thursday heard from a divided environmental community about how best to restore the Bolsa Chica wetlands, once a flourishing coastal ecosystem cut off from the ocean a century ago and later contaminated by oil fields.

Though the commission appears close to approving a $100-million project, the most expensive wetlands recovery effort in state history, several key issues still must be resolved.

Much of the debate centers on a proposal to carve a 360-foot-wide tidal inlet between the wetlands and the ocean, which supporters say will help restore a rich wildlife habitat but which others fear will foul the ocean off Bolsa Chica State Beach. It also would mean losing about five acres of sandy beach.

The wetlands, a 1,200-acre expanse of salt marshes, pools and oil fields, have been the source of controversy for nearly three decades.

Supporters at Thursday’s two-hour public hearing in Redondo Beach said an inlet to restore the ocean tide to the wetlands would create a wide variety of habitat, and would help several species of imperiled birds and fish, acting as a nursery for California halibut.

“Establishing such a buffet table of habitats maximizes biodiversity,” said David Carlberg, a member of Amigos de Bolsa Chica, a local environmental group.

But other environmentalists said the inlet would cause too much disruption. They advocate a less costly alternative that would get water from nearby Anaheim Bay rather than the ocean.

Wildlife officials said that would do little to improve the degraded wetlands and would cut off the project from its only source of funding: money from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles that must be spent on specific types of habitat.

Effects on the Beach

The commission will attempt to figure out by Oct. 31, whether the inlet plan is consistent with the state’s landmark Coastal Act, which sets rules for seaside projects regarding public access, recreation, habitat protection, dredging and other issues.

Among the main concerns is whether opening the wetlands to the ocean will affect Bolsa Chica State Beach. A UC Irvine study released earlier this year showed bacteria that stews in wetlands can harm coastal water quality.

Bolsa Chica has one of the cleaner beaches in Orange County. It is visited by about 3 million people annually and recently has seen a 45% increase in visitors, partly because of water quality trouble at nearby beaches.

“I don’t have to tell you how big of a deal water quality is in Orange County,” said Mike Tope, superintendent of the state Department of Parks and Recreation’s Orange Coast district.

He said he receives calls daily from beach-goers wondering where it is safe to swim.

“Bolsa Chica is where I send them,” he said.

But Jack Fancher of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said beaches next to wetlands were not significantly more likely to have health advisories.

Other concerns expressed at Thursday’s hearing included sediment contamination, displaced birds during construction and beach erosion.

The wetlands almost became part of a major residential development and marina off Huntington Beach until the state stepped in and bought the 880 acres that were left in private hands for $25 million in 1997. Development of the mesa above the wetlands remains a contentious issue.

For five years, a number of federal and state agencies have been trying to craft a restoration plan that would take Bolsa Chica (meaning “little pocket” in Spanish) back to its natural state.

Despite the current disagreements, most parties believe that the differences will be ironed out because of the project’s significance. The restoration could begin at the end of 2002 and would take at least three years to complete.

“I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize this project,” said Peter Douglas, the commission’s executive director.

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Turning the Tide

Experts are weighing how best to restore the Bolsa Chica wetlands near Huntington Beach. State and federal overseers favor allowing ocean tides to flow into the wetlands by creating an inlet. Key features:

PROS

* Seawater flows into wetlands, improving ability to feed and shelter waterfowl.

* Restores wetlands’ role as nursery for ocean fish.

* Fosters diverse population of small marine creatures, such as starfish, crabs and clams.

* Creates nesting grounds for rare birds such as the California least tern and western snowy plovers.

CONS

* Increases ocean water turbidity caused by dredged sediment during construction.

* Makes wetlands vulnerable to potential offshore oil spills.

* May raise saline ground water in nearby residential areas. (Engineers believe a special drain could address this problem.)

* Water quality could drop at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

* Sediment could be contaminated by existing oil operations.

Sources: EIR/EIS for the Bolsa Chica Lowlands Restoration Project, California State Lands Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Graphics reporting by DEBORAH SCHOCH and RAOUL RANOA