Irvine Ranch Water District
http://www.irwd.com/liquid-news/news-releases/archive/a-look-back-the-irwd-san-joaquin-marsh-restoration-a-dream-becomes-reality.html
A Look Back: The IRWD San Joaquin Marsh Restoration - A Dream becomes Reality
Published Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500
The Natural Treatment System Improves Water Quality in Newport Back Bay
In 1997, the Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh restoration project broke ground. The $6 million enhancement project was co-sponsored by IRWD and The Irvine Company.
“In an area already known for its innovation and environmental sensitivity, this project was an important initiative with statewide benefits and consequences,” said Paul Cook, IRWD General Manager. “The marsh restoration complemented the state’s ongoing successful efforts to increase the number of working wetlands.”
Nearly a year after the project began, a public open house was held to showcase the completed Marsh, a hidden gem in the community. More than 500 people attended, took tours of the Marsh and learned why wetlands are important to water quality. The duck ponds and riparian habitat were rejuvenated, creating a significantly improved nesting and feeding environment as well as a migratory stop-over for more than 200 species of waterfowl, shorebirds and other birds.
Plans to restore the Marsh were devised over a 10-year period in conjunction with the City of Irvine, the California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. The project required 13 permits from local, state and federal entities before it could proceed.
Improving the water quality of the Newport Back Bay by capturing and reducing the flow of sediment and urban runoff pollution from San Diego Creek before it enters the bay was the primary goal of the project. It was anticipated that treatment of the runoff water in the marsh’s ponds would lessen the occurrence of algae blooms in the Back Bay. Urban runoff is excess water that carries such pollutants as fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste and road grime into the storm drains.
Adjacent to UC Irvine and bounded by the San Diego Creek, Michelson, Carlson and Campus drives, the 300-acre freshwater marsh had slowly degraded over the years as a result of dry farming, use by private duck clubs and the San Diego Creek realignment, which diverted a large portion of its water supply.
In 1995, the Irvine Company sold its holdings in the Marsh to IRWD. As a condition of that purchase agreement, both organizations agreed to undertake the restoration. The IRWD portion of the Marsh is separate from the portion overseen by UCI, across Campus Drive.
Two aspects of the project included reconfiguring the existing duck ponds to enhance the Pacific flyway stopover and create protected nesting areas. Nearly 30 acres surrounding the ponds were planted with native vegetation. Berms were added along Campus Drive to decrease light and noise intrusion into the Marsh and four observation points were added for public bird watching. Invasive weeds were removed and replaced with native plants.
Today, water is diverted from San Diego Creek and flows through the marsh ponds, cleaning up water the natural way with interaction between bulrush and other wetlands plants. Up to 70 percent of the nitrogen is removed from the water, which is returned to the creek to continue to Upper Newport Bay and the ocean.
In addition to creating a peaceful place of quiet enjoyment, IRWD partners with the Sea and Sage Aububon Society to provide community education programs at the Marsh. Thousands of elementary school students have participated in the Audubon Outdoor Adventures science program and the summer camps over the years. Families enjoy summer bat walks, group tours, Seasons of Nature and monthly bird walks.
More recently, IRWD added Discovery Science Center as an educational partner. Since 2008, thousands of middle school students have taken field trips and conducted water quality tests at the Marsh.
The Marsh is available to visitors 365 days per year, from dawn to dusk. Bring a camera or binoculars and hike on 12 miles of trails, or just relax on a bench. While at the Marsh, take a self-guided tour at the IRWD Visitor’s Center which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. Please visit our website for a trail map and additional information about the Marsh.
IRWD is building upon the success of the San Joaquin Marsh in cleaning up urban runoff by creating a series of smaller man-made wetlands throughout the San Diego Creek watershed. So far, 13 sites have been completed. Please visit our website for more information on the Natural Treatment System.
In 1997, the Mars...
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In 1998, an open ...
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The Marsh as it l...
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