Coastal commission gives Bolsa dredging OK

Danette Goulet

The California Coastal Commission approved the dredging plans and

sediment disposal proposed for the $100-million Bolsa Chica restoration

project Tuesday, bringing the plan one step closer to final approval.

When the commission approved the plan in November it asked that a

report on sedimentation disposal be brought back to the commission.

“Various studies needed to be done,” explained commission member and

Huntington Beach Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff.

The $100-million plan would restore full tidal flooding to the

wetlands of Bolsa Chica by cutting an inlet through the state beach.

Some of the sand and sediment dredged from Bolsa Chica will be placed

on the beaches and some will be used to create an ebb bar, Dettloff

explained. Still other material will need to be disposed of at an

offshore site, she said.

The report outlined the disposal plan and the commission agreed that

it met state and federal standards.

The plan to revive the 1,200 acres has been in the works for nearly

five years, but it is the culmination of three decades of battles for

environmentalists who want to restore and preserve the land that is home

to many endangered species and is a stopover for many weary travelers on

the Pacific flyway.

The restoration plan still needs approval from two other state and

federal agencies. The project is expected to begin in 2003 and take about

three years to complete.