San Francisco Bay Delta

South Bay Salt Pond Tidal Marsh Restoration at Pond A17 Project

Earthen dam broken with water flowing through breach.

Pond A17 levee breach, Oct. 2012

This project will restore 130 acres of tidal marsh at Pond A17, a former salt pond in South San Francisco Bay, and home to the largest wetlands restoration project on the West Coast. The project design will enhance habitat for endangered and migratory birds, improve water quality in the Bay through increased filtering of pollutants, and is anticipated to keep pace with sea level rise. The tidal wetlands habitat will be restored through levee lowering, levee breaching, and the construction of internal ditch blocks to redirect flows to remnant marsh channels.

Project Facts

Recipient: California State Coastal Conservancy
Funding: $725,000 (non-federal match = $625,000/leverage = $5,850,000)
Project Period: September 2011 – November 2013
Partners: US Fish and Wildlife Service, CA Department of Water Resources

Environmental Results Summary: South Bay Salt Pond Tidal Marsh Restoration at Pond A17
OUTPUTS (Activities, efforts, and/or work product during project period)	OUTCOMES (Environmental results)
	*SHORT-TERM* (1-5 yrs)	*LONG-TERM* (5-20+yrs)
Construct a 400 ft berm to control water movement. Install inlet and outlet structure with fish screen. Construction of 16 islands at 15,000 sq. ft. each for 240,000 sq. ft. total Levee lowering and levee breaches to restore tidal action to 130 acres. Reconfigure trail alignment, and resurfacing of 20,400 linear feet of public access trail Install two overlooks and four interpretative panels	Improved recreational use of site, including trail reconfiguration to protect endangered species use of habitat Improved signage to increase the public’s knowledge of the environmental benefits of the project and natural history of site Site contouring and constructed islands provides high tide refugia for endangered salt marsh harvest mouse, Ridgway’s Rail and other birds and mammals	130 acres of tidal marsh restored High quality roosting, feeding and nesting habitat for migratory and special status shorebirds and waterfowl Improvement of water quality in Artesian Slough above baseline Increased populations of migratory shorebirds, resident fish species, and mammals in the project area above baseline Increased primary productivity in mudflat areas of Coyote Slough as a result of Pond A17 marsh nutrient export Restore 9 acres of tidal channel to create fish habitat. Restored tidal marsh provides flood protection benefits

Full List of Project Summaries