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By Ben
Frumin
North County Times
October 3, 2005
OCEANSIDE
---- The Oceanside City Council will hear an update Wednesday
on a planned restoration project at the Buena Vista Lagoon on
the coastal Carlsbad-Oceanside border.
Three major alternatives are being considered for restoration
of the 236-acre, freshwater lagoon. They involve keeping the
lagoon as freshwater, excavating enough sediment to open the
lagoon to tidal flows and turn it into a saltwater lagoon, or
having a mixture of salt and freshwater.
Ron Wootton, executive director of the Buena Vista Lagoon
Foundation, said Friday that if nothing is done, the lagoon
won't be recognizable in 30 to 50 years, as it will be clogged
and choked with sediment and vegetative growth.
Officials
said Friday that they are busy fleshing out details of the
proposed restoration, such as how to prepare required
environmental studies and how to drum up enough money to pay
for the project.
Though the cost would vary widely based on which design
alternative is selected, officials said all would probably
cost tens of millions of dollars.
If everything goes well, construction could begin as soon as
2008 or 2009, said Deborah Ruddock, California Coastal
Conservancy's project manager for the restoration project.
Wootton said construction would take at least two years.
In addition to the update at Wednesday's council meeting,
Ruddock said officials would hold a public meeting in early to
mid-November to present design alternatives and visual
simulations of what each would look like.
As for Wednesday's meeting, Wootton said that Oceanside senior
planner Jerry Hittleman would present an update on how the
project has moved along in recent years before Wootton shares
a timeline and strategy for the future.
The presentation to the council comes at the request of
Councilwoman Esther Sanchez.
The council meets 5 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 300 N. Coast
Highway.
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