Overview

Project Location Map

Overview

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the California Coastal Conservancy, and the California Department of Fish and Game are conducting a Feasibility Study and preparing an Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) which involves the technical analysis of alternatives for the restoration of 10,000 acres of wetlands and associated habitats within the former Cargill salt pond complex in the North Bay.

National Significance

Extensive habitat for endangered species, migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, and fish and other aquatic species,
A beneficial use for recycled water,
Improved water quality and productivity in the Napa River and San Francisco Bay, and
Public open space and recreational opportunities, including fishing, birdwatching, hunting, and environmental education.

Urgency

Significantly increasing salinities and declining ecological value in thousands of acres of ponds,
Opportunity to use recycled wastewater if integrated into water projects currently being developed,
Deteriorating levees, which could lead to levee breaches, high-saline discharges, and potentially fish kills,
Deteriorating water control structures, reducing options for habitat management,
Increased future restoration cost associated with site deterioration,
Rising maintenance costs associated with deteriorating levees and water control structures,
Escalating pumping costs as energy costs rise.

Project Goals

Restore large patches of tidal marsh that support a wide variety of fish, wildlife, and plants, including:

special status mammals and water birds, specifically the salt marsh harvest mouse, California clapper rail, and black rail;
endangered fish, specifically Delta smelt, Sacramento splittail, steelhead trout, and Chinook salmon, and other fish species; and
aquatic animals, including the Dungeness Crab, and other benthic and planktonic invertebrates.

Manage water depths of the remaining ponds to maximize wildlife habitat diversity, with shallow-water areas for migratory and resident shorebirds and dabbling ducks and deep-water areas for diving ducks.

Historical Conditions

United States Coastal Survey Marshlines 1856
San Francisco Estuary Institute



	Overview Project Location Map Overview The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the California Coastal Conservancy, and the California Department of Fish and Game are conducting a Feasibility Study and preparing an Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) which involves the technical analysis of alternatives for the restoration of 10,000 acres of wetlands and associated habitats within the former Cargill salt pond complex in the North Bay. National Significance Extensive habitat for endangered species, migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, and fish and other aquatic species, A beneficial use for recycled water, Improved water quality and productivity in the Napa River and San Francisco Bay, and Public open space and recreational opportunities, including fishing, birdwatching, hunting, and environmental education. Urgency Significantly increasing salinities and declining ecological value in thousands of acres of ponds, Opportunity to use recycled wastewater if integrated into water projects currently being developed, Deteriorating levees, which could lead to levee breaches, high-saline discharges, and potentially fish kills, Deteriorating water control structures, reducing options for habitat management, Increased future restoration cost associated with site deterioration, Rising maintenance costs associated with deteriorating levees and water control structures, Escalating pumping costs as energy costs rise. Project Goals Restore large patches of tidal marsh that support a wide variety of fish, wildlife, and plants, including: special status mammals and water birds, specifically the salt marsh harvest mouse, California clapper rail, and black rail; endangered fish, specifically Delta smelt, Sacramento splittail, steelhead trout, and Chinook salmon, and other fish species; and aquatic animals, including the Dungeness Crab, and other benthic and planktonic invertebrates. Manage water depths of the remaining ponds to maximize wildlife habitat diversity, with shallow-water areas for migratory and resident shorebirds and dabbling ducks and deep-water areas for diving ducks. Historical Conditions United States Coastal Survey Marshlines 1856 San Francisco Estuary Institute Back to Top \| Home