USA: County Seeks Input on San Elijo Lagoon Restoration

The Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the San Elijo Lagoon Restoration Project (SELRP) is now available for public review and comment.

The proposed project requires evaluation pursuant to both CEQA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) because of federal, state, and local discretionary actions.

Given the proposed project’s complexity and range of potentially significant issues, the appropriate environmental document is a combined EIR/EIS. The Corps and DPR have agreed to jointly prepare the EIR/EIS to address federal, state, and local requirements for environmental analysis and permitting.

The project is located in the southernmost portion of the city of Encinitas. San Elijo Lagoon is a coastal wetland formed where Escondido and La Orilla creeks meet the Pacific Ocean. The lagoon provides habitat for sensitive, threatened, and endangered plants and animals, including resident and migratory wildlife.

Restoration of the lagoon has the potential to generate more than 1 million cubic yards of excess material through dredging operations. Various options are available for disposal or reuse of that material (e.g., offshore ocean and/or upland placement or disposal, placement on the beach or nearshore, and reuse on-site), depending on its characteristics.

The public is invited to attend informational meetings on the project. Two public meetings will be held as follows:

– Tuesday August 19, 2014 from 6-7:30PM at La Colonia Community Center, 715 Valley Ave., Solana Beach, CA 92075;

– Wednesday August 27, 2014 from 6-7:30PM at 1140 Oakcrest Park Dr., Encinitas, CA 92024.

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Press Release, August 13, 2014