City looking for funds to restore creek

Andrew Edwards

Laguna Beach city officials plan to work closely with

conservationists in pursuing grants and partnership funding to

preserve Laguna Canyon Creek.

The City Council voted 4 to 0 on Tuesday night to seek funds to

restore about 4,000 feet of the creek based on the reports of

environmental groups commissioned by the city.

The city hopes to raise sufficient funds to restore a length of

the creek stretching from the intersection of El Toro Road and the

Laguna Canyon Road to the city dog park.

A focus of restoration efforts will be to slow down the flow of

water in the creek. A slower water flow is expected to allow for

improved flood control and cleaner water.

“As [water] slows down, it goes into the ground and the water does

a lot of cleaning,” said Roger van Butow, chief executive officer of

the South Orange County Watershed Conservancy, a group slated to play

a major role in the city’s efforts to fund the project.

Michelle Mattsen, an ecologist with Aspen Environmental Group,

presented a set of recommendations made by Aspen and PCR Services

Corporation, an environmental consulting firm.

Improvements to the creek outlined by Mattsen included widening

the flood plain, building a fence near the Bark Park to keep people

and dogs out of the stream, making the stream longer by making its

path more curvy, and clearing vegetation from the waterway.

“Channels are not supposed to have vegetation in the active

channel,” she said.

Mattsen also presented a proposal that educational kiosks be

installed in the dog park to inform visitors that leaving dog waste

in the park can contaminate water.

Council members were enthusiastic about the idea to restore the

creek.

“We have a lot of potential that has not been realized in the

canyon,” Councilwoman Toni Iseman said.

These improvements are not expected to be made on the cheap. Aspen

and PCR estimate full implementation of their recommendations will

run to more than $1.1 million.

Obtaining grants and partnership funding will likely be a critical

step toward making the improvements. Laguna Beach, like many other

California cities, is experiencing difficulties paying for city

operations.

Discussing the city’s finances, City Manager Ken Frank said that

though the city has more money in the general fund than expected when

the budget was written, the city has had to institute a hiring freeze

as a belt-tightening measure. The city’s fiscal picture was further

complicated when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order

reversing the increase in the vehicle license fee.

Though collected by the state, revenues raised by the license fee

are disbursed among local governments. Frank said he expects the

council will have difficulty planning the city’s finances.

To pursue funding for the project, the city plans to enlist South

Orange County Watershed Conservancy grant writers for aid.

The group will have access to city meeting facilities and a staff

liaison, von Butow said, adding that Wayne Baglin, who serves on both

the City Council and the watershed conservancy board of directors,

could play a role as liaison between the conservancy and the council.

Baglin was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.

With the council eager to move forward on restoration plans, Mayor

Cheryl Kinsman welcomed von Butow’s offer.