Watering after 100 years

The Brookhurst Marsh, which once teemed with wildlife, has spent the past several decades as a semi-arid, nondescript stretch along Pacific Coast Highway.

But the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy, which bought the land in 1989, has worked since October to dredge the marsh and restore it to its former glory.

Conservancy officials saw the fruition of their efforts last week, when ocean water flowed into the dredged channels after the partial breech of a levee.

“I think it’s quite historic. It’s probably been well over 100 years since water’s been in there,” said Gary Gorman, the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy’s project manager.

The wetlands, which previously served as a breeding ground for fish and a nesting ground for seabirds, dried out during the Huntington Beach’s growth into an industrial city.

During the excavations, the team found logs in the Talbert Channel that may have been used by early farmers to dam up water from the river, as well as several chunks of concrete that were in the area for unknown reasons.

Gorman said neighbors and contributors are pleased with the results.

“I would venture to say that 99% of the people who live there were very positive and happy with the work,” Gorman said. “All in all, it was a very good project. We finished at or under budget, and on time.”

Gorman said he has already witnessed vegetation growth in the newly dredged wetlands, as well as more animals and birds venturing into the area.

“It’s begun to repopulate as we speak,” he said.

Crews will work throughout the summer to install culverts to limit the amount of seawater entering the area until the vegetation is more established and shorebirds have finished nesting; in the meantime, they will artificially water the new growth. By the end of the year, the culverts will be removed to allow for full tidal exchange, Gorman said.

The original plans for a full breach of the levee were scrapped after the endangered Belding’s Savannah Sparrow was found to be nesting in the proposed flood area.

“Once this area is fully flooded in September, the Belding’s Sparrow will know where the water line is and nest above it,” Gorman said, adding that the project will enhance the bird’s habitat.

Much of the funding for the $62-million project came from the trustees of the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program, which was founded in 2001 to restore natural resources harmed by millions of pounds of toxic chemicals that were released into the Southern California marine environment from the 1940s to the early 1970s.

Other donors included AES Corporation, Orange County and Huntington Beach.

The conservancy is applying next for a federal stimulus grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; if it becomes funded, the organization plans to restore an additional 40 acres.