Location: Orange County
Project Type: Restoration
Status: Current
Cost: $640,000
Area Affected: 18.7 acres
Assembly District: 74
Senate District: 37
Congressional District: 48
Project Lead/Grantee:
Newport Bay Conservancy
For more information, visit scwrp.org
Big Canyon Creek is one of the few perennial streams that discharge to Upper Newport Bay in Orange County. Big Canyon Creek has experienced substantial watershed impacts such as channel incision, loss of floodplain areas, unstable riverbanks, poor water quality, infestation of riparian vegetation by the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB), and aggressive encroachment of invasive species.
The goals of this project are to: (1) remove of invasive plants and revegetation with native plants; (2) reduce the impacts of pollutants in the wetlands; (3) stabilize the creek and floodplain; (4) plan and implement restoration sea-level rise adaptations; (5) plan and implement riparian restoration efforts that are resilient to the PSHB; and, (6) enhance public access and educational opportunities.
This project will complete designs and environmental analyses for Phase 2A of the project consisting of approximately 9 acres of invaded riparian habitat. The project will also conduct feasibility studies to best develop and design a sea-level rise adaptation strategy for the tidal marsh and adjacent transition zones in Phases 2B and 2C.
