San Luis Rey Wetland Scheme Breaks Ground

Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers participated in a groundbreaking ceremony on February 6 near Bonsall for San Luis Rey wetland mitigation bank, an effort that will eventually restore about 54 acres of native floodplain wetland habitat along the river.

The mitigation bank is an aquatic resource habitat restoration and protection project developed to offset unavoidable permitted impacts to federal and state jurisdictional wetland and non-wetland habitat. Public and private development projects can mitigate their impacts by purchasing mitigation “credits” from the bank.

Joining the Corps in the ceremony were representatives from Wildlands Inc., the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, the City of Oceanside, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Davis Castanon, chief of the Los Angeles District’s Regulatory Division, said the groundbreaking is the result of a years-long effort.

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