Roundup

Danette Goulet

After two years in the planning stages, work began last weekend to

repair and replace the eroding sea walls that stand between 140

Huntington Harbour residents and the ocean.

The California Coastal Commission at long last approved a coastal

development permit for the restoration of 5,358 square feet of wetlands

at the corner of Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

It was the final seal of approval needed before the two-part project

could commence. It will replace bulkheads on Humboldtand Trinidad Islands

that have been undermined by saltwater and currents, and at the same time

restore a small portion of wetlands.

The wetland restoration plans include removing concrete and debris in

the northwest corner of the Bolsa Chica ecological reserve, grading the

area to match the adjacent wetlands and replacing two pipes to improve

tidal exchange in the Bolsa Chica channel.

The restoration project will make up for the loss of soft-bottom

habitats that will be lost in some areas where bulkhead reinforcement

will force the removal of eelgrass, said Karl Schwing, a coastal program

analyst.

“Apparently there’s been some erosion and exposed rotting pilings

damaging bulkheads that can be reinforced by putting a small wall in

front of the existing wall, but that fills in some of the wetlands.”

Homeowners, who are funding the project, have hired Tetra Tech Inc. to

complete all the work.

With fog horns echoing, barges entered the harbor early Saturday

morning to begin the bulkhead repair and placement work.

“The big problem is the walls have been undermined by erosion and

therefore some have become unstable,” said Fernando Pages, the Tetra Tech

scientist in charge of the project. “The majority of the problems can be

fixed by placing small rocks, called riprap, on that slope to prevent

further erosion.”

In some cases, where the sea wall has been severely undermined, more

reinforcements must be made and there is a loss of soft bottom habitat,

Pages said.

That is where the nearby wetland restoration comes in.

The project met with no objections.

“They’re just trying to improve the wetlands,” Schwing said. “It’s

anticipated to improve small wetlands in that area. This isn’t part of

the larger restoration project being considered for the main wetlands.”