So Cal Edison to build giant kelp forest North County Times February 9, 2008 Southern California Edison will build a 127-acre artificial reef this summer to offset the loss of kelp, algae and animals caused by the San Onofre nuclear power plant, company officials announced Friday. The reef is designed to anchor a giant kelp forest off the San Clemente coast where fish and invertebrates can flourish. The ambitious, $22 million project has been in the works for years. Edison built a 23-acre test reef in 1999, and scientists studied it for five years. On Wednesday, the California Coastal Commission gave Edison the go-ahead to expand the project to 150 acres. Edison is required build the reef as a condition of its nuclear power plant permit. The power plant, located on a seaside patch of Camp Pendleton about 15 miles north of Oceanside, slurps up millions of gallons of salt water each day for its cooling system. When that water is released back into the ocean, it's murky, making it harder for vital sunlight to reach the kelp. The artificial reef will be constructed out of quarry rock in water 30-50 feet deep, Jonna Engel, a Coastal Commission spokeswoman said at Wednesday's meeting. The project should produce 50 tons of fish annually, Edison stated in a news release. Edison has proposed naming the reef after the late Wheeler North, a California Institute of Technology marine biologist. Copyright 1999-2008, California Coastal Coalition Phone: (760) 944-3564