Santa Monica Bay > Programs & Projects > Habitat Restoration Project > Ballona Wetlands Restoration > Ballona

The Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project will restore and enhance a variety of native habitats on the site of the former Ballona Wetlands. The project will also provide for public access and recreational opportunities, consistent with the resources of the property. The project area includes about 600 acres owned by the State of California, along both sides of the Ballona Creek channel in Los Angeles County. Enhancement of this property is one of the largest and best remaining opportunities to restore coastal wetland habitat in southern California.

Project Site
The project site includes approximately 600-acres owned by the State of California. In 2004, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) took title to approximately 540 acres of the former wetlands. DFG also holds title to a section of the channel of Ballona Creek. The State Lands Commission owns approximately 60 acres, including the Freshwater Marsh and the Expanded Wetlands parcel. This project will develop restoration alternatives for all of the state owned properties.

It is estimated that the Ballona wetlands once occupied more than 2000-acres at the mouth of Ballona Creek. Although the site has been altered over time, it continues to provide habitat for some threatened and endangered species. Significant cultural resources exist on the former wetlands and the site provides scenic open space in the heart of Los Angeles County.

During the past century, the historic Ballona wetlands have been dramatically altered by human activity. Active oil extraction on the wetlands caused significant alteration of the landscape. In the 1930s, Ballona Creek was channelized, straightened and deepened as part of a flood control project implemented by the federal government and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. Construction of Marina del Rey in the 1950s converted coastal dunes and wetlands into a marina. Dredge spoils from marina construction were deposited on the undeveloped portions of the Ballona wetlands, which raised the elevation of the site and altered the soil profile. At the same time, Little League baseball fields were constructed on a portion of the site. Major infrastructure (Jefferson, Culver, Lincoln Boulevards, electricity, water, and gas utility lines) transects the former wetlands, with significant impacts to hydrologic and habitat connectivity. In the early 1900s, the Pacific Electric Railroad was extended across the wetlands to Playa del Rey and the railroad levee is still visible on the site.

Landscape Context
Restoration planning will be conducted within the landscape and watershed context, with attention paid to adjacent and ecologically related resources. Consistent with the Wetland Recovery Project’s Regional Strategy (2001) , the project will integrate planning with other adjacent wetland resources, including but not limited to Ballona Lagoon, Del Rey Lagoon, Grand Canal, Marina Del Rey Harbor and Oxford Lagoon.

Ballona Creek Watershed
The Ballona Creek watershed, approximately 130 square miles, is the largest watershed draining into Santa Monica Bay. The watershed is largely urbanized and home to more than 1.5 million people. Urbanization of the watershed has significantly impacted the hydrology and water quality of Ballona Creek and the Ballona Wetlands.

Project Management Team will include staff from the Coastal Conservancy, the Department of Fish and Game and the State Lands Commission. The land-owning agencies will retain final discretionary approval for any project to be constructed on their property. Senior wetland/habitat restoration experts from other agencies, such as US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service will advise the Project Management Team.

An Agency Advisory Committee, made up of senior staff and wetland/habitat restoration experts from other public agencies, advises the project management team. Agency Advisors include representatives from US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, the Coastal Commission, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies.

Ballona Wetlands Restoration Working Group is a stakeholder group comprised of interested organizations, agencies and members of the public. The Ballona Restoration Planning Working Group (Working Group) will meet quarterly to hear project updates, to provide input, and to support the restoration planning. Subcommittees of the Working Group may be formed to address specific issues. Working Group meetings will be open to the public.

Ballona Wetlands Interim Management and Stewardship Subcommittee is a group of interested stakeholders that meets to discuss issues related to site management and stewardship while the restoration plan is being developed. This subcommittee meets as needed to provide a forum for non-governmental organizations, land owners and the public to initiate a constructive dialogue with the Coastal Conservancy, the Department of Fish and Game and the State Lands Commission on the nature of interim management and stewardship activities. This subcommittee will function as a means of exchanging information, ideas and approaches that could benefit the project area and surrounding communities. Stewardship meetings will be open to the public.

Science Advisory Committee (SAC) is an interdisciplinary panel of experts formed by the Coastal Conservancy(Selection Criteria and Members). The SAC will provide guidance and direction to the Project Management Team on the development of the restoration alternatives and feasibility analysis. The SAC will evaluate science-based information and provide input on proposed monitoring and data collection methods. The SAC will meet regularly during the planning process to review the science used in the development of the restoration plan and to guide implementation of an adaptive management and monitoring program. SAC meetings will be open to the public.