Malibu Lagoon Restoration to Begin
After more than 15 years of planning, the restoration of Malibu Lagoon is scheduled to begin late this year or early next year. Much of the work, funded by more than $4.1 million approved by the Conservancy in June, is designed to improve water quality and circulation in the lagoon, where stagnant water collects pollutants and promotes algal growth.

Polluted water flowing into the 31-acre lagoon from Malibu Creek has degraded habitat. During the rainy season the berm across the lagoon's mouth is sometimes breached, contaminating the water of nearby Malibu Lagoon State Beach, locally known as Surfrider Beach, which is highly popular for both surfing and swimming. Along with improvements to the lagoon itself, the State Water Resources Control Board and the Conservancy, in partnership with Heal the Bay, the City of Malibu, State Parks, and the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, are working to reduce pollution in the creek.

In the first phase of work, State Parks will move the public parking lot at Malibu Lagoon State Beach closer to the park entrance, adjacent to the Pacific Coast Highway. The new parking lot will include permeable paving and a low-impact stormwater treatment system to minimize pollution from runoff, which currently flows directly into the lagoon, and an interpretive viewing area for students and other educational groups.

In the second phase, State Parks will create about two acres of wetlands on the former parking lot site, dredge silt from the lagoon to improve water circulation, create three nesting islands for birds, replace invasive plants with native species, improve a trail along the lagoon's perimeter, and install various interpretive features. The RCD will use $550,000 of the approved funds toward the final design and monitoring for both phases of work. The Conservancy received the bulk of the funding--over $3.8 million--for the restoration from the State Water Resources Control Board.

In 2003, Heal the Bay initiated a lengthy series of meetings among scientists and local residents that culminated in the development of the restoration plan that is guiding the proposed improvements. The last major restoration of the lagoon was done in 1983, when State Parks excavated three channels to reintroduce tidal flows.

Water Trail in the Works for San Francisco Bay
The walking and bicycling public has easy access to much of the San Francisco Bay shoreline, thanks to the Bay Trail. Now waterside access is about to be improved for kayakers and other boaters in small non-motorized craft. Planning is under way for the Bay Area Water Trail, mandated by the Legislature in 2005 at the urging of Bay Access, a nonprofit organization that works to protect and increase Bay access for small non-motorized boats.

The "water trail," will, in effect, be a network of designated sites ("trailheads") where people can safely launch and land. The initial trailheads will be chosen from existing launch sites; new sites will be added over time. Trailheads will be linked by signage, and a trail guidebook, maps, and other educational materials and programs will spread the word about the trail's existence, help trail users plan trips, and inform them about safety and proper behavior in sensitive wildlife areas.

A water trail plan is being developed jointly by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), the Coastal Conservancy, and the Association of Bay Area Governments. BCDC will submit the plan to the Legislature in 2008. Recommendations and guidelines are now being worked out in meetings of a steering committee that represents boaters, resource managers, and groups and agencies with responsibilities for navigational safety, wildlife, and habitat. More meetings are scheduled in early 2007. Anyone wishing to attend or learn more about the Water Trail can contact Sara Polgar at (415) 352-3645 or sarap@bcdc.ca.gov.