Lagoon Lifesaver-- April, 2002

Since our last newsletter in October 2001, the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Study has continued to show steady, if slow, progress. The Draft Feasibility Report and EIR/EIS are now scheduled for release to the public in late May. In spite of this slippage, the project can qualify for Congressional authorization as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2002 (WRDA '02) if no further schedule slippage occurs. Authorization this year can lead to the commencement of the construction phase in 2004, which is important to offset the rate at which the lagoon continues to fill with sediment, and the very real threat of closure of the lagoon's mouth.

As you may have seen in the Point Reyes Light dated March 21, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced at a recent Bolinas Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee meeting that the scope and cost estimates for the restoration project have increased substantially above the 785,000 cubic yards of material to be removed and the $20 million estimate generated in 1996. The estimated quantity to be removed has more than doubled and the estimated cost has increased about four fold. It is important to keep in mind that these cost estimates anticipate implementing plans comprising a wide range of possible corrective actions. However, a lesser combination of corrective actions may be taken, actions that would be beneficial to Bolinas Lagoon and cost considerably less than implementation of the total plan.

You may recall that a portion of the schedule delay was caused by the establishment of a "Habitat Expert Evaluation Panel," whose task it was to review the possible corrective actions and make suggestions to minimize the adverse impact of dredging on the lagoon's habitat and denizens. One of the panel's conclusions was that whatever work is done should be done in small increments, separated by periods of evaluation (Phased Adaptive Management).

In the reality of today's world, a project of this magnitude may be difficult for the federal government to authorize and the Marin County Board of Supervisors to support. So the time-phasing suggestions of the Habitat Expert Evaluation Panel blend nicely with the economic reality of the situation. It is likely that a first step will be implemented in 2004, followed by more work a few years later.

After the Draft Feasibility Report/EIR/EIS is released, there will be a period for public comment and review (copies wil be available in libraries and on CD ROM from the Corps). These comments will be analyzed, and after that analysis, Marin County executives will decide which alternative(s) they want to implement. We expect that the County's choice will be supported by the Corps, and forwarded to Washington for approval and inclusion in WRDA '02.

Once again the time has come to ask for your help in securing federal funds for the restoration project. The President included $200,000 for Bolinas Lagoon in his budget for FY'03. We would like $400,000, so the Corps can complete Phase III (Pre-construction Engineering and Design), in preparation for construction in 2004. YOU CAN HELP by writing to two senators and two congressmen, the ranking members of the House and Senate Subcommittees responsible for Energy and Water Development appropriations. Their names and addresses are included below. PLEASE WRITE TO VOICE YOUR SUPPORT, copy Senator Barbara Boxer and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, and send your letters to Bucky Mace, Bolinas Lagoon Foundation, P.O. Box 444, Stinson Beach, CA 94970. Since paper mail is not being delivered to Congress, I will deliver them as a package when I'm in Washington next month.

Your letter can be as simple as:

Dear ---,

Please include $400,000 in the FY '03 appropriation for the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration, a project of the San Francisco District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Every day of delay in the restoration effort causes a worsening of the lagoon's health, and a subsequent increase in the complexity and ultimate cost of the restoration.

Thank you.

Signed.

Thanks to the support of State Senator John Burton and Assemblymembers Kerry Mazzoni and Joe Nation, Marin County Open Space District continues to have funds available to meet the project needs for the next phase.

Let me close with a word of thanks and appreciation to all of you who support our work with your donations. All gifts to Bolinas Lagoon Foundation are put to work for the restoration effort, and are tax deductible.

Bucky Mace
For the Foundation

Please write to: