Reopening the Lagoon

Moving sand to rebuild parts of Cardiff  dunes

We have scheduled our annual land-based excavation to reconnect the San Elijo Lagoon to the Pacific Ocean, starting on Thursday, March 19. The inlet has closed again, as the channel remains mostly blocked with reduced tidal flow, even after the February winter storm had enough flow to create a temporary natural breach. The mouth of the lagoon continues to experience a large amount of sand being moved from beaches north of the lagoon, which affects how long it can stay open.

The inlet most recently closed during a neap tide, so the water level during this closure hasn’t had impacts on the regrowth of California cordgrass, the preferred habitat of the endangered Ridgway’s Rail.

All work will be conducted west of the railroad bridge, and the sand removed from the inlet will be used to rebuild part of the Cardiff Living Shoreline dunes south of the Charthouse Restaurant. Nature Collective staff will be on-site to assist California State Parks with beachgoer safety throughout this seven-day project.

Above: Nuttall’s lotus at Cardiff State Beach dunes

Nature Collective continues to work closely with state and federal agencies, providing updates and exploring potential solutions to manage the ongoing influx of sand into the inlet, especially east of the railroad bridge. Solutions to this problem are complex and costly, requiring extensive inter-agency coordination. However, Nature Collective, our Reserve management partners, and local, state, and federal agencies are collaborating to develop an adaptive management plan to find a long-term solution.

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