Project Overview
California's coastal wetlands support a wealth of precious wildlife habitat and play a crucial role in improving coastal water quality and reducing the harmful effects of floods and erosion on surrounding communities. Today, more than 95% of Southern California’s wetlands have been lost due to human development – the largest loss of any state in the nation.

Rooted in years of scientific research and guided by community input, the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project will revive critical wetland habitat and offer a remarkable natural space for the public’s use and enjoyment. One of the most promising coastal wetland restoration opportunities in southern California, the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project will return this highly degraded habitat into a thriving wildlife reserve and unique community asset.

The Ballona Wetlands
Stretching from Playa del Rey to Venice, the Ballona Wetlands once occupied a 2,000-acre expanse of critical coastal habitat. Now covering a 600-acre area, the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve represents the largest opporutnity for coastal wetland restoration in Los Angeles County. The site is owned by the state of California and managed by the California Department of Fish and Game as an ecological reserve. The State Coastal Conservancy and the California State Lands Commission are participating partners in the planning and restoration of the wetlands.

Why Restore the Ballona Wetlands?
More than a century of human neglect and abuse have left the Ballona Wetlands in a highly degraded state. Dredge spoils dumped on the wetlands during the construction of Marina del Rey and the Ballona Creek Flood Control Channel have severed the historic connection between the ocean and the freshwater creek. As a result, the site has lost many of the ecological functions of an estuarine wetland and it no longer supports many of the native species that once lived there.

Restoring the intrinsic structure and function of the Ballona Wetlands will give native species a chance to recover and thrive. The Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project will return the daily ebb and flow of tidal waters, maintain freshwater circulation and support a more natural and healthy ecosystem. Creating suitable habitats and conditions will allow wetland vegetation to flourish and attract the insects, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, birds and mammals that call wetlands home. As a restored site, the Ballona Wetlands will play a critical role as a migratory refuge for the millions of birds traveling from South American to Alaska each year. Further, this revitalization will provide the community with a valuable educational resource and an opportunity to create meaningful connections with the natural environment.

The Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project: A Promising Future
The Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project offers the community the opportunity to return this degraded site into a flourishing and dynamic native ecosystem – one which is resiliant to disease, non-native species and impacts associated with pollution and climate change. Using a science-driven restoration plan to preserve this vital and historic coastal ecosystem, a restored Ballona Wetlands will help reestablish the natural balance that once existed along Los Angeles’ coast, create a valuable community resource and sustain southern California’s natural heritage.