Famosa Slough

GENERAL			Source
Site	Famosa Slough (Also see Mission Bay)
Map	La Jolla USGS 7.5' quadrangle
Location	City of San Diego, immediately south of Mission Bay and the San Diego River Flood Control Channel.
Contacts	Friends of Famosa Slough (619) 224-4591.
	City of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (619) 525-8219.
Approximate Wetland Habitat Acreage	26		1
Approximate Historic Acreage	Part of complex at the mouth of the San Diego River estimated to have been 3335; Famosa Slough itself is estimated to have been greater than 45 acres		1

Ownership	Owner	Acres	Source
	City of San Diego	32	1

LAND USE			Source
Land Use Designation	City of San Diego - Open Space		1
Onsite Use	Wildlife-oriented recreation and education, utility corridor, terminus for several storm drains, also dumping and transient camping have occurred.		1, 8
Historic Use	Native American populations from approximately 6,000 years ago. The slough is disected by W. Pt. Loma Blvd. which was built in the 1930's; a railroad line went through the site until sometime in the 1940's. The slough received dredged material, concrete,		1
	and asphalt fill from construction of the channel and roadways.
Adjacent Use	Surrounded by commercial and residential development, I-8 and the San Diego River channel.		1
Historic Adjacent Use	Gradual encroachment of urban uses.		1

HYDROLOGY			Source
Tidal Influence	Tidal circulation characterized as moderate; the W. Pt. Loma Blvd berm divides the site into areas referred to as the Slough and the Channel which are connected through culverts. The channel is connected to the San Diego River channel via culverts.		1
Watershed Area	369 acres		1

Tributaries and Flow	Tributary	Flow	Source
	None	Not applicable	1
Dams	None
Other Sources	Surface flow and 12 storm drains convey urban runoff.		1

WATER QUALITY			Source
General	Variable, dependent on tidal connection and freshwater input; it is also affected by numerous storm drain outlets and the site's diverse topography. Little sampling has been done since the culverts to the river channel were propped open in 1990.		1, 5, 6, 7
	Listed in 1994 as an impaired water body; draft 1996 list indicates selected criteria for eutrophication exceeded. No beneficial uses designated.
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)	Monitoring over a 24-hour period in August 1986 (tide gate closed) showed substantial fluctuation, with afternoon concentrations very high and night concentrations extremely low. San Diego State class found a range of		1, 4
	0 - 6.4 ppm in October 1981; time of sampling was not reported in source document, nor was temperature.
Water Salinity	March 1992 salinity measurements found concentrations similar to the ocean - 32 ppt in most parts of the slough; some pockets with dense vegetation, farther from the channel had levels 2 - 18 ppt; salt panne ponds read 40 ppt.		1
Sedimentation	No data available.		9

Soil			Source
Soil	Native loamy coarse sand of Marina series, undifferentiated bay muds, fine silts. Areas of "considerable" fill - asphalt and concrete rubble, sand, soil, other construction debris.		1

Habitat	Acres	Vegetation	Source
Salt pond/open water	10	Varies seasonally. 1992 - Sea lettuce, Enteromorpha sp., Vaucheria sp. characteristic algae in spring; prostate mats of blue-green algae and diatoms dominant in summer; also drift Chaetomorpha spiralis, (green algae) and widgeon grass.	1
Mudflat	2.5	Varies seasonally. 1992 - Ulva spp., Enteromorpha spp. (green alga), phytoplankton, and blooms of chain diatoms and filamentous blue-green algae, also pickleweed seedlings.	1
Salt marsh - 1 fragmented acre of low marsh, 5 acres of middle/high marsh	6	1992 - 14 native species, including cordgrass, fleshy jaumea, pickleweed at all elevations; arrowgrass, saltwort, shoregrass, sea blite, alkali-heath in middle/high marsh; many upland exotics along upper fringe.	1
Brackish and Freshwater marsh	4	Listed in brackish areas in 1992 - alkali heath, brass buttons, yellow nutsedge, halberd-leaf saltbush, prairie bulrush, southwestern spiny rush, cattail, pickleweed; dense cattail dominated the fresh marsh. Giant reed also reported in 1996.	1, 8
Salt panne; scattered, some have developed on fill.	2.5	Varies seasonally and with ecological condition. In 1992 - algal blooms and large mats, scattered sea-blite and glasswort observed.	1
So Willow Scrub and disturbed riparian	1	Arroyo, sandbar, and black willows, Brazilian pepper, curly dock, mule-fat, wild oat, ripgut grass present in 1992. Giant reed* also reported in 1996.	1, 8
Upland	11.3	Urban disturbed/Exotic invasive, disturbed fields	1

ANIMAL USE			Source
Birds	Cumulative list from several surveys beginning 1975 identified 164 species; 90 water associated, 5 nesting; 24 species of concern. 2 pairs of breeding light-footed clapper rails# documented in 1995.		1, 2
Fish	Diversity characterized as relatively low. 1992 beach seines, minnow traps found 13 species including long-jawed mudsucker, Ca. killifish, sailfin molly*, topsmelt, and diamond turbot.		1
Benthic Invertebrates	Limited sampling done. 1992 - 15 species observed; visual dominants were Ca. hornsnail, mudflat fiddler crab, lined shore crab, and slender grass shrimp; the Japanese oyster* was also identified.		1
Insect	1992 survey found the salt marsh wandering skipper + and evidence of Staphylinid beetles.		1
Other Wildlife	1992 limited trapping found house mice only. Urban-adapted mammals such as Virginia oppossum, raccoon striped skunk and evidence of domestic cats and dogs were also observed.		1
Special Status Species	1992 - common loon, western grebe, Amer white pelican, Ca Brown Pelican, double-crested cormorant, western least bittern, reddish egret, osprey, northern harrier,		1, 2
	Cooper's hawk, merlin, Amer peregrine falcon, Prairie falcon, West snowy plover, elegant tern, Ca least tern, black skimmer, loggerhead shrike, Belding's Savannah sparrow, large-billed Savannah sparrow, tricolored blackbird;
	light-footed clapper rail# breeding documented in 1995.

OUTLOOK			Source
Enhancement Status	An enhancement plan was completed in 1992, with specific recommended measures; it uses an adaptive management approach whereby data from ongoing monitoring provides guidance for subsequent enhancement;		1, 3
	funding for implementation being sought as of summer 1995. There is active local volunteer involvement in clean-up and exotic vegetation removal.
Watershed Management	Problems of the local watershed are addressed in the 1992 enhancement plan. Local volunteer activities extend into the watershed where feasible.		1, 8
Pressure	In addition to potential problems of increased urbanization listed for Mission Bay, Famosa Slough is affected by undirected human use, suboptimal and uncertain connection to tidal influence and flood control concerns.		1, 3
Comments	Famosa Slough and Mission Bay wetlands have been described seperately. However, Famosa Slough is hydrologically connected to the San Diego River channel in Mission Bay Park, and all are fragments of the once vast San Diego River delta.

SOURCES
1	Pacific Southwest Biological services, KTU+A, Philip Williams & Assoc., and Lintvedt McColl Assoc. for the City of San Diego and the State Coastal Conservancy. 1993. Famosa Slough Enhancement Plan. 250 pp.
	The document provides a conceptual plan for enhancement of the Famosa Slough, located south of Mission Bay, at the western edge of the San Diego River Watershed. Original hydrologic and biologic data included.
2	Zembal, Richard. 1995. Status and distribution of light-footed clapper rails in California, 1980-1995. Preliminary report to the California Department of Fish and Game. 28pp.
	Results of the 1995 survey of breeding light-footed clapper rails in California. The report incorporates data from 15 years of annual surveys and discusses population trends for the region and at each of 36 sites censused. Trends are tied to
	ecological conditions at each site and the author identifies possibilities for improving habitat.
3	Jim King, State Coastal Conservancy. Personal communication, June 21, 1995.
4	Keith Merkel, Merkel and Associates, Inc. Personal communication, November 20, 1995.
5	San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. 1994. Water quality control plan for the San Diego basin. Approximately 225 pp. and appendices.
	The plan designates beneficial uses and associated water quality objectives for inland surface waters, coastal waters, reservoirs and lakes and ground water in San Diego County. It includes a discussion of applicable policies and statutory
	requirements and identifies measures for achieving water quality objectives. It also describes ongoing monitoring and assessment programs. Appendices contain summaries of regional growth forecasts and criteria for organic and inorganic constituents.
6	State Water Resources Control Board. 1994. List of impaired water bodies.
	Developed as part of the Water Quality Assessment of the State's major waterbodies. Separate lists are developed to rate waterbodies as Good, Intermediate, Impaired or Unknown Quality. Impaired waters are those not expected to attain or maintain
	water quality standards. The state list is a compilation of those developed by the nine regional boards. Lists of impaired water bodies are also known as 303(d) lists as they meet a requirement of section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act.
7	San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. 1996. Draft 303(d) list.
	A proposed list of waterbodies in the San Diego Basin that do not or are not expected to attain water quality standards after application of required technology-based controls. Specifies selected beneficial uses and criteria assessed,
	and the percentage of samples in which criteria were exceeded. It also identifies waterbodies for which previous assessments are no longer applicable.
8	Jim Peugh, Friends of Famosa Slough. Personal communication, February 2, 1996.
9	Robin Stribley, City of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation. Personal communication, February 7, 1996.

Webmaster: wetlands@resources.ca.gov

Webmaster: wetlands@resources.ca.gov