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Levee breached in Huntington Beach
February 25th, 2010, 1:46 pm · 25 Comments · posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor
Update from levee in Huntington Beach 12:07 p.m.
News cameras whirred as construction workers removed a large chunk of an earthen levee separating the Magnolia wetland in Huntington Beach from a flood-control channel — restoring a connection to the ocean for the first time in 100 years.
The construction crew actually had been whittling down the top of the levee for the last two weeks, said Gordon Smith, chairman of the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy.
So water was already flowing between the channel and the wetland as the earth movers went to work on the last pieces of the levee Friday.
The channel connects to the ocean, so as the tide rises during the course of the day the wetland, newly restored with $3.3 million in federal stimulus funding, will see its water level rise. Peeking above the water at high tide will be nesting islands for the Belding’s savannah sparrow.
It is the last of three wetlands along the channel that have been restored since 1989, creating marshes with full-strength ocean tides that should summon a variety of native plants and animals absent since the wetlands were cut off from the ocean a century ago.
“I’ve been working at this for over 25 years,” Smith said Friday as he looked on. “This is a really exciting milestone for us.”
The Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also showed off their new visitor center to reporters. The center should be open to the public in time for an April 17 grand opening of the newly restored Magnolia marsh — one of three marshes along the flood control channel restored in recent years.
Register photo of Magnolia marsh at restoration kickoff event in June, 2009, by Mark Rightmire.
Chattering birds and other wildlife should reclaim the 41-acre Magnolia marsh as their own in the months and years to come. Some have already explored their new marsh.
“It’s really exciting to see how quickly these wetlands are returning to their natural function,” Smith said. “It has a big impact on the coastal environment.”
The restoration took six months of work by contractors for the Conservancy, which owns the parcel and partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the project.
Meandering channels — filled in and flattened by a century of dryness — were scooped out, contaminants were removed and 40,000 cubic yards of dirt were hauled away; replanting of wetland plants will follow.
But most of the restoration work will be done by the ocean itself. The twice-daily flux of tides should stimulate the growth of eel grass, cord grass and other wetland plants, create a nursery for halibut and other fish species, and attract an array of birds drawn to tidal marshes — perhaps one day including the endangered light-fo0ted clapper rail.
The Conservancy is planning a public grand-opening April 17. A public observation deck should be set up for visitors to view the wetland, and the Conservancy plans to offer boat tours, hikes on portions of a trail around the perimeter of the wetland, and an interpretive center with an underwater “fish cam.”
The newly restored Magnolia marsh completes a three-marsh network along the flood channel that has been years in the making. The first to be restored was the 25-acre Talbert marsh, near the Santa Ana River, in 1989; the 65-acre Brookhurst marsh was finished last year, and is already filling with birds and fish.
“Somehow, fish and animals seem to sense when there’s a wetland,” Smith said. “We’re already seeing baby halibut, and various fish, using the Brookhurst marsh.”
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Cant wait for summer headlines.
Smell & bugs from marsh restoration irritates homeowners.
Plan to rebuild levees in works!
What’s that smell?
Its actually the wastewater treatment plant, RIGHT THERE!
Can”t wait for summer headlines: Cantankerous, cynical, luddites still wrong about everything, homeowners rejoice in rejuvenation of wetlands.
What does this have to do with 19th century, British textile workers?
Thanks to everyone involved in this great project.
Marlow – pass me yo spliff, bro.
Never ending is simply making a point. And an accurate one at that.
Rejuvenating wetlands is overall a good thing. But the homeowners will not “rejoice”.
I like the look of the restoration as I’m riding by on my bike. Just keep your mouth closed or you’ll be sucking bugs. Glad I live a mile from there I dislike bugs.
Federal Stimulus money ? How many long term jobs were created by this project?
Probably about 10….1 to operate the Cat, 1 to drive the dump truck, and 8 to stand around and supervise.
Does this mean I can fish for halibut near the marsh?
hbhillbilly: Sure, if you want a mutant halibut with 3 eyes. Enjoy the birds and eel grass, but don’t eat the fish!
I can’t wait to go fishing there. Or is fishing allowed?
There should not be a bug problem since the fish will be eating the bugs from the marsh land. I may be wrong, no?
It may take a while to settle in though. Not all of the species in the food chain will appear at once, but the birds and fish that feed on bugs will find the resource soon enough.
“long term jobs”, in construction? Well, not if you do it right,,,
I feel so stimulated….what a waste of taxpayer’s money. They just don’t get it. Where is the money go to come from to maintain this project. LIke the musical Evita: “When the money keeps rolling in, you don’t ask how”
Some of y’all are just total downers man.
As a nearby neighbor, I think the re-vitalized marsh will have a pleasant “beachy” scent because the natural ebb & flow of the tides will filter the wetlands sufficiently. It’s that Sewage Plant #2 (no-pun intended) next door that is the real stink bomb. Fortunately, there is a big dome over it that captures most of that wretched smell!
As for more bugs, there are so many birds that nest in the nearby beach reserve at Brookhurst/PCH. They’ll probably eat most of them along with all the new schools of fish. Thanks to all involved for bringing our the marshlands back to life.
Now, if we could just get people to STOP LITTERING!!! Please help keep our pristine ocean and wetlands clean. Please just use the trash cans provided along the wetlands!!! The wildlife and locals appreciate it!!!
Where and when did these wetlands appear? I read that they were created when the Coast Road was built, causing the swamp. Open up the channel, let it flow.
Author: Any reasons known as to why the levees were put in place 100 years ago?
Hello…I’ve been trying to find out more about that, and hope to talk shortly with an Orange County historian. By the time the Coast Highway was built (in our area, the 1920s I think), the wetlands were already diked off, but a member of the wetlands conservancy told me that might have happened years ahead of the construction of the highway.
did buzzkill actually use the word pristine? um…. what year are you living in? because the ocean is pretty far from pristine. as much as we would like it to be, it is not. but i do agree with you that we should pay more attention to cleanup and all of us do our part. as far as the rest of the haters i would love to live somewhere close to the wetlands. it would remind me that there is something other than this concrete prison that we live in today
This is a win-win situation. The wetlands are privately owned and managed. They will help with flood control, water quality, endangered species habitat and feeding grounds, and general aesthetics of the area. This area was degraded for a century, and now it will be fully restored. Yet, the ignorant feel the need to criticize.
luckly u don’t have to smell sulfur coming up from the crack running through the upper newportbay, that stuff stinks.
Did we just borrow $3,300,000.00 from China so “Chattering birds and other wildlife should reclaim the 41-acre Magnolia marsh as their own in the months and years to come.”? What a waste of my grandchildren money!