SANDAG seeks gap funding as Audubon advances 6‑acre wetland reserve in Buena Vista Lagoon

SANDAG and the Buena Vista Audubon Society gave the Buena Vista Lagoon Joint Powers Committee a dual update Monday on plans to restore the lagoon and a separate wetlands‑reserve project, detailing current design progress, funding shortfalls and permitting steps.

Kim Smith, a senior planner with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), said SANDAG has roughly $4 million in grant funding from the Wildlife Conservation Board and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Prop 1) that has allowed the project to reach about 65% design but will not take the work to final engineering. “That 4,000,000 only gets us up to about 65% design,” Smith said, and added SANDAG estimates it needs “between 5 and 6,000,000 to get us to a shovel ready project.” She told the committee modeling and technical studies are underway, that 30% design wrapped in April, and that 65% design work is scheduled to begin in summer and conclude in December, with grants expiring in January 2026.

SANDAG has pursued additional state and federal funding. Smith said the project has a federal earmark of “a little over $1,000,000” submitted through Congressman Levin’s office and that…