Dave BrooksA parcel of land slated for...

Dave Brooks

A parcel of land slated for a 171-unit residential development is now

home to some unexpected visitors -- birds.

American pipits, bushtits, cinnamon teals and Western sandpipers

have descended on the 50-acre Graham Street parcel, between Slater

and Warner avenues, after historic winter rains turned the

agricultural field into a huge pond and birding area.

The presence of water, and the subsequent bird visitors, has

re-energized an environmental debate often overshadowed by the

property’s larger neighbor to the south, the Bolsa Chica Mesa.

The smaller 50-acre field was purchased in 1995 by Shea Homes,

which eventually received approval from the Huntington Beach City

Council to develop the site in 2002. Just five months later, the

Coastal Commission denied a coastal development permit to build on

the field, asking Shea to answer concerns that property owners were

farming the site to conceal its natural environmental features.

Environmentalists like Mark Bixby are trying to block development

of the field he refers to as the Wintersburg Wetland, arguing that

the presence of water and birds at the site prove it is a federally

protected wetland and should be preserved.

His cause has mobilized flooded residents living along nearby

Kenilworth Drive, many of whom believe the inches of water collecting

in their backyard is coming from the adjacent field.

Shea Homes officials insist the flooding is from unusually high

amounts of groundwater in an area where many homes sit just inches

below sea level. Company Vice President Ron Metzer said development

of the site would include a multimillion dollar drainage system that

would substantially reduce the risk of future flooding in the area.

One thing that everyone agrees on is that February’s storms were

historic for Huntington Beach. Already soaked and saturated from a

barrage of storms that had pummeled the area for weeks, the Graham

street lot filled up after being hit with between 4 to 6 inches of

rain in just under 48 hours.

When the large storm finally died off Feb. 22, homeowner Chuck

Dildine said he thought his backyard might get some relief. Instead

he began to notice water percolating through gopher holes and dirt

along his backyard fence. The water seemed to be coming from under

his fence, just a few feet away from the pond that was taking shape

on the Shea site.

Dildine and other neighbors did their best to pump out the water,

filling the street’s storm system with a never-ending river. Despite

their efforts, the volume of water draining into their backyards

proved almost impossible to manage.

“I might as well be pumping out the Pacific Ocean,” Dildine said.

Dildine’s home wasn’t damaged by the water, but neighbor Bill

Blake wasn’t so lucky. Groundwater had seeped into his low-lying

living room and soaked most of his carpet.

Engineer David Hamilton, a nearby resident who opposes development

on the Shea Property said the water’s origin seemed obvious.

“Some of the water is coming from the field because it’s up

against the wall, percolating through,” he said.

The homeowners have petitioned the city to get involved. Acting

Public Works Director Paul Emery said there wasn’t much he could do.

“There’s no city right of way involved and no city property,” he

said. “This is an issue between adjacent property owners.”

Shea’s Metzler said he’s looked at draining the site into the

nearby Wintersburg Channel, but acquiring the required permits could

take weeks. Besides, he argues, his own team of engineers is

convinced the flooding along Kenilworth Drive is not caused by water

buildup on his property.

Metzler argues that groundwater flows north-to-south toward the

sea and it would be impossible for water from his property to flow

upstream to Kenilworth Drive. That street also sits at the low point

of an underground aquifer only a few inches below the surface. The

recent rains have flooded the system, leaving water nowhere to go but

to percolate up out of the ground in the same area that

coincidentally borders the property.

“All the stuff that we’re proposing is going to alleviate this,”

he said.

If approved by the Coastal Commission, the Shea proposal would

include millions of dollars of improvements including widening of the

Wintersburg Channel, expanding the storm drain system and the

creation of a new water treatment facility to cleanup runoff.

That proposal will be submitted for a June Coastal Commission

hearing in Long Beach. Environmentalist Bixby said he will oppose the

plan, which includes 171 single family homes, 8.2 acres of public

parks and 3.3 acres of open space.

Bixby has spent years documenting the site, photographing native

plants, logging bird visits and recording water levels in an attempt

to prove the field is a federally protected wetland. Bixby said he

will now set out to prove that the area is home to threatened species

like the California gnat-catcher bird and the wandering skipper

butterfly. “I believe this is a jewel worth preserving and ultimately

restoring,” he said.

In the meantime, residents living along Kenilworth Drive said

their biggest concern is alleviating the water buildup around their

homes. Dildine said the soil around his foundation is saturated and

his foundation could be sinking.

“If we have another storm, our homes are in peril,” he said.