Malibu Lagoon the “Riviera of California”
During my recent bus ride to Malibu, my first stop was at the Malibu Lagoon State Beach, a 13 acre shallow water embayment occurring at the boundary of the Malibu Creek Watershed, the second largest watershed draining into Santa Monica Bay.
The sand-barred lagoon, just off Malibu Point, is a resting and feeding estuary for more than 200 species of migrating and native birds.
The Malibu Lagoon is where Malibu Creek meets the Pacific Ocean. The beach side of the lagoon is home to Surfrider Beach, world renowned as a surfing and recreational destination and receives approximately 1.5 million visitors every year.
On the east side of Malibu Creek, the famous Malibu Pier allows for excellent saltwater fishing, dining, and just a great view. In fact, the California State Parks won the 2009 Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award for its restoration of the Malibu Pier. The conservancy recognized California State Parks for demonstrating its "solid stewardship of this beloved public resource by reversing decades of decay while staying true to its historic character."
The Malibu Lagoon Master Enhancement Plan
Click here for a larger image.
Malibu Lagoon has undergone many changes in its recent history. In fact, looking at it now, it’s hard to believe that the lagoon had previously been used as a dump site for fill material by Cal Trans and others in the 1950’s and 60’s.
By the late 1970’s the site was completely filled and housed two baseball fields. The size of the lagoon has been greatly diminished by urban development along the coast.
In addition, urbanization upstream in the Malibu Creek Watershed has increased the volume of water transported into the lagoon, which also significantly diminished the waters pollution.
The non-profit group, Heal the Bay, in cooperation with the California Department of Parks and Recreation under a grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy, has coordinated a massive renovation program to revitalize, revamp, and carry through with restoring the Malibu Lagoon to its past grandeur.
The purpose of this project is to design a restoration plan for the Malibu Lagoon ecosystem that provides the greatest benefit for both goals of an enhanced ecosystem structure and function, while still preserving and enhancing the recreational use activities.
Although the restoration is a long term civil engineering endeavor, no matter how long it will take, restoring The Malibu Lagoon to its pristine status is well-worth the effort.
Do you have any important restoration or historic preservation projects going on in your city’s neighborhood? I’d love to hear about them because out national treasures are our cities, parks, and natural resources.
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