Wetland Restoration

Henry AbarbanelSan Diego Water Board Chair

Current Issues• More Than 85 Percent of Wetlands in

California Have Been Lost

• New Threats From Population Growth, Sea

Level Rise, and Climate Change

• Certification Program Alone Cannot

Achieve Restoration Goals

• Restoration Success is Not Adequately

Monitored and Difficult to Achieve

How to Restore Wetlands

•Compensatory Mitigation – Restoration

by Discharger for Impacts to Wetlands

•Mitigation Banks – Sell Restoration

Credits for Impacts to Wetlands

•Restoration Projects – Restoration with

No Associated Project Impacts

Wetland Restoration Goals

• Prioritize Wetland Restoration Statewide

• Restoration of Chemical, Physical, and Biological Functions

of Wetlands

• Appropriate Goals = Receiving Water Outcomes!

• Biological Objectives, Physical Habitat, Beneficial Uses, Water

Quality

•Effective Monitoring to Ensure Successful Restoration

• Appropriate Monitoring Methods – Biological (BMI), Physical

(CRAM), Water Quality

• Healthy Wetlands Require Healthy Watersheds

• True Source Control & BMPs (LID, HMPs,)

Wetland Restoration Projects

Easy – San Luis Rey Downs

Restoration

Medium – Tijuana Marsh Expansion

Hard – Brown Property Fill Removal

from the Tijuana River Channel

Thank You!

Questions?