Conservation Matters
Buena Vista Lagoon Restoration
When last we reported, the Buena Vista Lagoon Restoration Project had been officially put on hold. California Department of Fish and Game had announced a halt to completing the final Environmental Impact Report. Unwillingness by the two beachfront homeowners’ groups to consider a saltwater restoration alternative was cited as a primary reason for calling a halt.
The reaction.
Most adjacent stakeholder groups immediately began expressing a desire to see the EIR process restarted. The cities of Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Vista each wrote official letters urging the Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency to revisit the issue. Oceanside councilmember and Coastal Commissioner Esther Sanchez then took the lead by setting up a meeting in Sacramento with Natural Resources Secretary John Laird and CDF&G Chief Deputy Director Kevin Hunting. A delegation traveled to Sacramento in early December, led by Councilmember Sanchez and including Carlsbad Assistant City Manager John Coates, Carlsbad Associate Engineer Steve Jantz, and BVAS board member Andy Mauro.
Issues addressed.
Issues discussed at the meeting included efforts by CDF&G to address concerns of beachfront homeowners’ groups; the availability of funding needed to complete the EIR; the possibility that efforts expended to date might be wasted should the project be indefinitely delayed; the benefit of having a final EIR already completed should a future funding source for implementation of the restoration become available; and possible obligations of state and local jurisdictions to proceed with a restoration project to address requirements associated with the lagoon’s designation as an “impaired water body”.
The critical need.
There is widespread agreement that the lagoon must be restored. Failure to do a restoration would result in a continuing decline in the lagoon’s habitat values and biological and hydrological functioning. Water quality, flood protection, vector control, and aesthetic values would all be negatively effected.
Good news!
The delegation was well-received in Sacramento, and pledges of cooperation and support were exchanged between the parties. Since the meeting, the Buena Vista Lagoon Foundation has received word that Secretary Laird has now directed CDF&G to use “all available resources” to complete the EIR. Efforts will be made to insure that the cities will be bigger participants as the process moves forward.
Much still needs to be done, but there now appears reason to hope that one day the Nature Center might look out on a healthy and fully-functioning coastal wetland.
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Whelan Lake
There have been recent suggestions that the City of
Oceanside might begin charging for the water it pumps
into Whelan Lake from the adjacent sewage treatment facility.
The lake is a dedicated bird sanctuary maintained
by the non-profit Whelan Lake Bird Sanctuary Association.
Under previous agreements in effect since 1958, the
water has been provided free of charge.
About 50,000 gallons of reclaimed water are pumped into
Whelan Lake each year. The water transfer is used to
maintain the lake’s water surface and to provide a reservoir
for the excess supply of partially treated water produced
by the sewage treatment facility. The new fee structure
would result in an estimated annual expense of approximately
$14,000 for the reserve.
A number of people are raising concerns that this unanticipated
expense, while representing a tiny percentage of additional
revenue in the City of Oceanside’s challenged
budget, might seriously impact the very limited private
funds available to the reserve for maintaining Whelan
Lake. Several additional issues have also come to light
which question the fairness of imposing a new charge for
transferring excess reclaimed water to Whelan Lake.
BVAS, of course, considers the Whelan Lake Bird Sanctuary
a wonderful natural asset for the wildlife of our community,
and certainly deserving of this modest level of
operational support from the city.
We hope the City of Oceanside will turn a sympathetic ear
to the sweet trills of birdsong emanating from Whelan
Lake, and continue to freely provide the water necessary to
maintain this important sanctuary. Join our monthly bird
walk at Whelan Lake and experience its beauty.
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Other Issues
El Corazon
At a September hearing, the Oceanside City Council unanimously
approved Sudberry Properties as
the developer for El Corazon, the 450-acre
regional park planned for the “heart of Oceanside”. The
vote supported earlier recommendations from the planning
commission, the El Corazon citizens’ planning committee,
and other community groups and stakeholders, including
BVAS. The Sudberry proposal will provide enough soccer
fields to host major tournaments within the next year. The
soccer tournaments are seen as a means to raise the funds
needed to support future development of the park. The developer
will be working with partners to also develop the
commercial areas envisioned in the park plan, another critical
component in the overall financial plan for park development
and maintenance. Good news for Oceanside.
Dumps, Gravel Mines, and Quarry Reclamation
Following the progress of three somewhat similar North
County projects as they work their way through the permitting
process can be confusing. Here’s the latest:
Gregory Canyon
Both houses of the state legislature
have passed a bill which would prohibit landfills within
1,000 feet of a river (i.e. the San Luis Rey). The bill is now
on the governor’s desk. His signature dooms the project.
Liberty Quarry
The Riverside Planning Commission
dealt this project a blow in September by denying a surface
mining permit. This sand and gravel mine would significantly
impact the adjacent Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve.
Proponents plan to appeal to Board of Supervisors.
Hanson Quarry Reclamation
The reclamation project
along Buena Vista Creek is now underway, and the design
reflects some decent accommodations for environmental
concerns. Carlsbad is responsible for the portion of the site
slated for development, however, and the Council appears
receptive to a dense 500-home development plan.
—Andy Mauro
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