By Linda Pemberton The Los Cerritos Wetlands Complex straddles the San Gabriel River and falls within Long Beach and Seal Beach. It was once a thriving 2,400-acre watershed before tidal connections were cut off, power plants were built, oil fields discovered, housing developed, highways built, trash and earthquake rubble dumped, and the river channelized with cement. A mere 500 degraded acres remain. To most, they are unrecognizable as wetlands. When you mention the Los Cerritos Wetlands to people in Long Beach and Seal Beach, many say, “Where?” The good news is that we now have serious and robust efforts to recapture and restore a portion of the rich wetland ecosystem we once had. Two decades ago, in 2001, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust began championing the vision for restoring the wetlands. Their efforts to educate the community and the City on the value of what most could not see has paid off. They were followed in 2006, by the formation of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, a governmental joint-powers organization (Long Beach, Seal Beach, Mountains and Rivers Conservancy, and California Coastal Conservancy). California had lost 90% of its coastal wetlands. Few opportunities remained to restore them. It was time to take action. After years of acquisitions, research, community outreach, planning, permitting, and fundraising, two large wetland areas are staged for major restoration. The results will restore lost natural habitat, protect endangered species, support migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway, and aesthetically change the face of Long Beach. Let’s review how far we have come and where we are going. 2025-2029 The Southern Restoration Project is led by the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority on publicly owned lands. It involves a 103.5-acre area in Seal Beach. It borders the Haynes Cooling Channel just south of the San Gabriel River, the Marina Hill residential community, Gum Grove Park, and Pacific Coast Highway. The restoration project, managed by Tidal Influence, will remediate contaminated soils, restore tidal wetlands, create upland transition zones and habitats, and provide public access. Funding has come from several government agencies, the most recent being a grant of $32 million from the California Coastal Conservancy. Phase 1 restoration focuses on enhancing existing habitat. Construction starts in September 2025 and is estimated to be completed by March 2027. Phase 2 of the restoration will create a full tidal connection throughout the site using the Haynes Cooling Channel when the outdated, once-through-cooling power plants are decommissioned in 2029. 2024-2028 The Northern Restoration Project covers 150 acres in Long Beach that borders Pacific Coast Highway, 2nd Street, Studebaker Road, and the Los Coyotes Channel. John McKeown of Synergy Oil and Gas, Beach Oil Mineral Partners, and the Los Cerritos Wetlands, LLC is leading the restoration project. It includes capping all the oil wells, removing structures and equipment from 100 years of oil operations, and remediating contaminated soils. Tidal channels will be opened to re-establish a coastal salt marsh. The restoration includes a historic office building as a visitor center, a parking lot, and a public trail. To help fund the restoration, a wetlands mitigation bank has been created to sell credits to construction and development projects that impact coastal wetlands. The restoration schedule has moved up dramatically. The original 20-year schedule is now a 4-year schedule. By the end of 2027, all the oil wells will be decommissioned. By 2028, the property will transfer to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority along with a $ 2.2 million endowment fund for management. By the time the 2028 Summer Olympics come to Long Beach, we should see over half of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Complex restored and filled with tidal connections re-establishing wetland ecological processes and all the benefits that come with it. That’s not that far away. Maybe then, people will say with pride, “Los Cerritos Wetlands? Oh, yes. They are amazing!” |