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Development could dry up wetlands, environmentalists say

Posted by: Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:13 am

From the O. C. Register:

Environmentalists are warning that wetlands could go dry and some Surf City homes might sink if the city moves forward with the proposed 111-home Shea Parkside Estates development.

With the City Council set to vote Monday on whether to approve a revised development plan for the property, Bolsa Chica Land Trust officials have released a 250-page report about what they say are significant changes to the property and are asking the council to postpone the vote.

They say water levels have dropped at least partly due to emergency repairs of the nearby Wintersburg Channel, and that the levels could plummet more if the developer proceeds with plans to further reinforce the levee and drain certain areas before building homes on top of it. Environmentalists and neighbors say the draining process may change the water table, causing the preserved wetland habitat on the property to dry up and adjacent homes in the Kenilworth Drive area of Surf City to sink.

The documents are the latest twist in a more than a decade-long battle between environmentalists and Shea Homes, which wants to build on 50 acres near the Bolsa Chica wetlands.

The developer contends the report is the latest tactic by the Bolsa Chica Land Trust to stall a project that has already been scaled back by the California Coastal Commission. The development, which the city originally approved in 2002 with 170 housing units and 3.7 acres of conservation area, is now planned with 111 homes and 23.1 acres of preserved areas.

“These people are not engineers. They’re not licensed,” said Shea Parkside Estates spokesman Laer Pearce. “They are very smart … but they don’t know how soil works…You can’t call for a new (environmental impact report) when a project has less impact than it had when it was originally approved.”

Read more from the O. C. Register by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Development & Population, Southern California, Water Quality

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