A $500,000 grant announced Wednesday by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation is the final chunk of funding Oceanside needs to start construction on the Loma Alta Slough wetlands restoration project.
Construction is set to start next year on about six acres at the mouth of the Loma Alta Creek near Buccaneer Beach. The work includes the excavation of the creek channel and removal of invasive plants to improve circulation and water quality.
A 6-foot-wide public trail, an overlook and interpretive signs will be added to improve public access and recreational opportunities, and a connection will be included to the Coastal Rail Trail soon to be extended across the creek.
The grant was among 109 awarded totaling $144 million in coastal states and U.S. territories by the wildlife foundation through its National Coastal Resilience Fund. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Defense Department are partners in the program.
“This year’s grant slate continues our significant investments in nature-based solutions that are critical to increasing the resilience of vulnerable communities and protecting and restoring essential habitats for fish and wildlife,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of the foundation, in a news release.
The Oceanside Planning Commission unanimously approved a development plan for the project on Nov. 20.
Oceanside has planned the restoration for more than 20 years. The remaining wetlands are only a small percentage of a much larger slough that was reduced by encroaching urbanization over the past century. During dry weather, the creek stops flowing to the ocean, grows stagnant and fills with trash.
The city received a $400,000 grant in 2018 from the State Coastal Conservancy to begin the restoration design, and in June 2022 it received $1 million from the California Ocean Protection Council in June 2022 to go toward construction costs, which are expected to be a little more than $2 million.
