Building with nature: Can reviving a marsh save this California town from sea level rise?
Can reviving a marsh save this California town from sea level rise?
Photo by Brian Johnson
Photo: Brian Johnson
Photo: Brian Johnson
Image 1of/1
Caption
Close
Image 1 of 1
Can reviving a marsh save this California town from sea level rise?
Can reviving a marsh save this California town from sea level rise?
Photo by Brian Johnson
Can reviving a marsh save this California town from sea level rise?
Photo by Brian Johnson
Reviving a marsh can save this California town from sea level rise?
1 / 1
Back to Gallery
A coastal town in the California Central Valley is reviving a marsh to save it from a rising sea.
In May, a group of engineers are scheduled to start a trial run of what they hope will be a $100,000 project that will add 6,000 feet of wetlands and remove 727,000 cubic feet of wastewater from the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
The town of Ojai, about a 45-minute drive southwest of Los Angeles, is about 60 percent owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. But that department is only renting its land, which makes it very difficult to build on. And it does not own the wetlands.
The project is not officially approved by anyone. But the engineers say no one would stop the project if it did not go forward.
The city of Ojai is in a precarious situation, with rising seas and little land to protect itself from the inevitable. If the team’s plans are fulfilled, the town could lose a significant portion of its wetlands and nearly 2,200 feet of tidal marsh.
“It’s a good problem to have,” Ojai City Councilman Michael Boudin said. “This will be one way there is some help.”
While no one wants a massive rise in sea levels, Ojai is not out of the woods yet. The city is in the middle of developing plans to accommodate a growing population, as well as a new port, to be built on the bay side of the town.
O
