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SANDAG says state grant covers 30% design for Buena Vista Lagoon but leaves roughly $3 million shortfall; CDFW pauses cattail removal through nesting season
Summary
SANDAG informed the committee it has received just over $4 million in state grants to reach 30% design but still needs about $3 million to reach 65% design; SANDAG plans a Prop 1 application and is coordinating with Congressman Levin’s office; CDFW said cattail removal is paused for the Ridgeway rail nesting season and two scientific aid positions are being hired.
SANDAG told the Buena Vista Lagoon Committee that the project has received a little more than $4 million in state-awarded grants intended to fund technical studies and 30% design, but additional funding — about $3 million by SANDAG’s estimate — is needed to advance to 65% design, final engineering and permitting.
"We were granted about a little over $4,000,000 to move the project through design," SANDAG representative Kim Smith said, describing current work on fluvial and tidal analyses, water-quality studies, a sediment analysis plan (SAP) and structural work for an overcrossing on Carlsbad Boulevard. Smith said SANDAG expects to finish 30% design plans this fall and that the current grants will not fully fund 65% design.
SANDAG is preparing a draft Prop 1 application to submit by the end of the month and said staff are coordinating with Congressman Levin’s office about a possible federal earmark to cover the remaining gap. The agency also has engaged a legal consultant to draft a master agreement describing proposed easements and how to engage affected property owners, with outreach planned for the fall.
On habitat work, Gabriel Penaflor, reserve manager for Buena Vista Lagoon with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the committee that cattail removal has not proceeded during the Ridgeway rail nesting season, which typically runs March through September. "Due to the Ridgeway rail nesting season ... there has been no new cattail removal in Buena Vista Lagoon," Penaflor said, and added that CDFW has interviewed for two scientific aid positions to help with removal activities once the nesting season ends.
Committee members asked for clarification about funding and next steps; SANDAG confirmed the estimated shortfall and reiterated plans to pursue Prop 1 funds and federal support. The committee did not take any formal funding action at the meeting.
