The San Elijo Lagoon in Encinitas is facing a critical situation due to an increase in sand buildup, causing water levels to drop and threatening the lives of fish and other wildlife. Despite a 2022 restoration project aimed at increasing tidal flow, more sand has entered the lagoon, creating a hypoxic environment with insufficient oxygen for marine life. The conservation group responsible for maintaining the lagoon is seeking over $1 million in funding to implement an aquatic dredging method to address the issue.
The conservation group that maintains the San Elijo Lagoon is looking for funding upwards of $1 million to counteract an increasing flow of sandDespite recent restoration efforts, water levels in the San Elijo Lagoon in Encinitas are dropping to levels that affect the mortality of fish and other wildlife in the area, according to one conservation group.
The conservation group said they've been using a land-based sand excavation method to deal with the settling sand but it has proved ineffective at solving the problem. They'll need to use an aquatic dredging method instead to target the sand filling the east side of the lagoon.
The channel under the bridge was made deeper and wider to aid with tidal circulation. New mudflats were created to support the natural habitat and new trails were created for the community. The Nature Collective performs certain tasks annually to maintain the lagoon, including opening the inlet, removing sand under the Highway 101 bridge and monitoring more than a dozen environmental variables to determine if their efforts are successful."The time and energy that we're spending on trying to have this action and working on it, we always welcome donations from the community to kind of help us in our actions," Bright said.
She added maintaining the lagoon's ecosystem is not only important for the directly adjacent areas but for other reserves along the coast as well.
San Elijo Lagoon Sand Buildup Hypoxia Wildlife Conservation Dredging
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