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Port updates Pond 20 mitigation bank and aquaculture planning; construction still years away
Summary
Port staff told the Imperial Beach City Council that the Pond 20 coastal wetland mitigation bank BEI has been resubmitted to the Interagency Review Team and that construction is projected for 2029–2031 pending roughly a dozen permits. The port also presented a second‑draft aquaculture discussion paper and paused CEQA until further stakeholder engagement.
Port staff updated the Imperial Beach City Council on June 17 about long‑range work at Pond 20 and a proposed shellfish and seaweed aquaculture program.
Heather Carroll, the port’s environmental conservation director, said Pond 20 — an 85‑acre parcel overlapping Imperial Beach and San Diego — was historically a salt‑evaporation pond and is now proposed as a coastal wetland mitigation bank. Port staff resubmitted a revised Bank Enabling Instrument (BEI) to the Interagency Review Team (IRT) on June 12; Carroll said the Army Corps of Engineers is the lead agency and the IRT review should produce feedback in roughly 90 days. The port estimates construction in the 2029–2031 window and says the project will need about a dozen permits, including Army Corps, Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, FEMA and California Coastal Commission approvals.
Commissioner Dan Malcolm and port staff emphasized the potential to reuse about 550,000 cubic yards of sediment from Pond 20 for beach replenishment or other beneficial uses. Staff said top layers of sediment with a salt crust will require landfill disposal, while substantial portions could be suitable for beach nourishment; funding and logistics for sand placement are still under study.
Paula Silvia, the port’s director of aquaculture and blue technology, summarized the second discussion draft for a shellfish and seaweed aquaculture program. The 1st discussion draft was released in August 2024; the 2nd draft closed a 45‑day comment period on June 15 with 21 new letters. Based on stakeholder feedback the port reduced the in‑water area under consideration for Imperial Beach from about 270 acres in the earlier draft to approximately 152 acres in the current draft. Silvia said any aquaculture harvest in the identified area would be for non‑consumptive, industrial uses given the Tijuana River sewage impacts, and that the port will not commence CEQA review until further outreach and requested analyses are completed.
Council members asked about the proposed service area for mitigation credits (staff said it will be defined by the IRT and is expected to be primarily Southern California watersheds that feed San Diego Bay), revenue timing from credit sales (staff estimated credit sales could begin when habitat milestones allow credit release; selling an initial tranche could occur once the bank-enabling instrument is approved, possibly producing some funds by 2030), and whether Imperial Beach would receive direct revenue from leasing aquaculture areas (terms and revenue-sharing remain to be negotiated with the port’s real‑estate group).
The port also provided a progress update on a planned splash pad and the reimagined Dunes Park: contractor mobilization for the splash pad is expected the week after July 4 with on‑site work beginning July 6, and Dunes Park design is at 30% with a target to return to the board in early 2028 for construction.
What happens next: port staff will continue IRT coordination on the BEI, pursue additional permits and analyses later this year and in 2027, and follow-up with the city on opportunities for beneficial reuse of sediment and shared priorities for shoreline projects.
