Coastal staff OKs Oceanside riverbed clearing By MARGA KELLOGG North County Times January 20, 2008

Residents and city officials fear that the clogged channel, which has grown wild since it was planted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2000, will flood if there is a severe rainstorm. They also say that the brush poses a fire hazard.

The report also says that a plan proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would destroy 233 acres of endangered species' habitat, as workers clear the giant reed Arundo from the lower seven miles of the river between College Boulevard and the Pacific Ocean.

The commission's staff report says that to meet the requirements of the California Coastal Management Program, the Army Corps must replace the habitat, because it includes nesting areas for several endangered birds such as the least Bell's vireo, and river habitat for the Southern California steelhead.

The Army Corps' project includes three proposed types of vegetation management and would be carried out over 25 years: annual vegetation removal, removal every 10 years and nonmaintained areas of vegetation.

Lost habitat could be replaced in a number of ways, including buying more land or replanting existing land, according to the report.

As well, sediment removed from the river channel during the latter steps of the clearing must be placed on Oceanside area beaches, provided that it is physically and chemically suitable for beach use, according to the staff report.

The Coastal Commission is set to hear the issue Feb. 6 during its monthly meeting, which will be held at Oceanside City Hall.

Oceanside Councilman Rocky Chavez has asked for information on the clearing and that the issue be discussed at Wednesday's City Council meeting at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 300 S. Coast Highway.

Chavez said Monday that he put the item on the council agenda because he wants to keep it in the spotlight. The issue has been delayed for years as state and federal groups wrangle over the environmental concerns.

"If things go true to form, this will be negotiated up to the last minute," Chavez said.

The commission's approval is needed to begin the clearing project, and permits also are still needed from regulatory agencies including the state Department of Fish and Game and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/State Fisheries.

River clogging began when the Army Corps completed a system of flood control levees along the San Luis Rey in 2000 and planted vegetation to meet state environmental laws.

The growth of that vegetation, much of which is Arundo, has since choked the river.

Also in the last year, the brushy riverbed was the scene of a series of arson fires. In October, officials feared that wind could push a wildfire raging near Fallbrook down the riverbed toward Oceanside.

The Army Corps planned to begin clearing work this month, but officials said Monday that because permits still are outstanding, no major clearing will begin until fall.

The least Bell's vireo nests between March and September in the riverbed and no work can be done during those months.

The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife has already agreed to the clearing, which will cost the Army Corps an estimated $12.4 million over eight years, with annual costs for clearing and mowing estimated to be about $2.7 million.

The first phase is estimated to cost $7 million, a spokesman for the Army Corps has said, with the Corps paying 75 percent and the city 25 percent.

City Manager Peter Weiss said Monday that the Army Corps, state Department of Fish and Game, the city and representatives of Congressman Darryl Issa's office will meet today in an effort to find common ground on the issue.

Issa, R-Vista, has been pushing for the river clearing since 2005, when he helped obtain federal funding for the project. He said recently that he doesn't want the work to be delayed.

"We're trying to get to a point where everyone is reasonably confident that their issues are being addressed," Weiss said of the meeting. "It's a matter of compromise. They're trying to find ways to protect what they're tasked with protecting."