Huntington Wetlands

GENERAL			Source
Site	Huntington Beach Wetlands
Map	Newport Beach, 7.5 USGS quadrangle
Location	The Huntington Beach Wetlands are located in the City of Huntington Beach between the Santa Ana River and Beach Boulevard along the eastern side of the Pacific Coast Highway.
Contacts	Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy; (714) 963-2123
	City of Huntington Beach; (714) 536-5271
	Orange County Flood Control District; (714) 834-6192
Approximate Wetland Habitat Acreage	115		6
Approximate Historic Acreage	The Huntington Beach wetlands are a remnant of a 2,900 acre wetland area which existed at the mouth of the Santa Ana River.		6, 9

Ownership	Owner	Acres	Source
	Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy	25	1
	City of Huntington Beach	5	4
	Caltrans	49	4
	Orange County Flood Control District	4	4
	Private	94	4

LAND USE			Source
Land Use Designation	The 1984 City of Huntington Beach's Land Use Plan designated the area as open space and industrial energy production. The wetland area is divided into six parcels by an industrial and mobile home sites, roadways and flood control levees.		3
	levees. In 1996 the City's Local Coastal Program was amended to designate these six sites as coastal conservation, coastal zone, and floodplain.
Onsite Use	A 25 acre site, known as Talbert Marsh, at the southwestern end of the wetland area, adjacent to the Santa Ana River, has been restored. The Talbert flood control channel has been reconfigured to flow through this restored		6
	marsh. The remaining five parcel of degraded marsh and uplands are open space. The Huntington Beach flood control channel is leveed adjacent to these five sites.
Historic Use	These remnant wetlands were formerly connected by the meandering Santa Ana River. Until the early 1900's, domestic water was supplied to the town from the site by artesian		1, 10
	wells. Much of the area was used for duck hunting until oil and gas wells were developed on the site beginning in the 1920's. These wells have been abandoned.
Adjacent Use	To the north of the Talbert and Huntington Beach Channels are residential and industrial developments. A power generating plant and a mobile home park separate the northern and southern portions of the wetlands. To the west		12
	is the Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Beach State Park. To the west, across the Huntington Beach Channel are industrial site and sewer treatment plant.
Adjacent Historic Use	Once the Santa Ana River was channellized, agricultural fields were developed to the east, and gas and oil exploration was conducted to the north and south. With the construction of flood control channels in the late 1940's		12, 11, 4
	the adjacent areas were rapidly developed for industrial, residential and recreational uses.

HYDROLOGY			Source
Tidal Influence	The Huntington Beach wetlands are isolated from surface tidal exchange except that portion of the Talbert Marsh that has been restored to full tidal action. The wetlands characteristics of the		3
	remaining marshes are maintained through fluctuations in the local water table, direct precipitation and limited urban run-off.
Watershed Area	13.3 square miles (Talbert/Huntington Beach flood control channels)		4

Tributaries and Flow	Tributary	Flow	Source
	Talbert Channel	Storm and urban run-off	4
	Huntington Beach Channel	Storm and urban run-off	4
Dams	None
Other Sources	Periodic urban run-off from adjacent roads and industrial developments. Seasonal fluctuations of the local ground water.		9

WATER QUALITY			Source
General	According to the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), general problems include non-point source pollution from urban run-off. Water quality is described as intermediate at the confluence of the Huntington Beach and Talbert		7, 8
	Channels. Beneficial Uses are listed as: rec1, rec2, biol, wild, rare, mar and est.
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)	Data were collected in March 1989 at three locations in Talbert Marsh. The DO levels ranged from 4.0 to 8.0 mg/L, and temperature ranged from 63 to 68 degrees F. Depth and time of samples were not specified.		1
Water Salinity	Data collected in 1989 in the Talbert Channel area which reported a salinity of 34 ppt. In the area north of Brookhurst Avenue, in ponded water behind the channel levee, salinity ranged from 2 to over 150 ppt.		1
Sediment	Due to the urbanized nature of the Talbert and Huntington Beach Channels' watershed, little sediment is supplied via these storm drainage channels. The Talbert Channel's opening to the ocean may provide sediment to the marsh from longshore transport.		3

Soil			Source
Soil	Soil is stratified sandy silt and clayey silt in the upper ten feet, and mixed with a significant amount of organic material.		9

Habitat	Acres	Vegetation
Open water	13+ (includes flood control channels)	Not specified.	10
Mud flat	3.8	1989/90 - Algal mats	10
Salt marsh	11 (restored) 114 (degraded)	1989/90 - dominated by pickleweed and saltgrass, salt bush, alkali heath and rushes are present. Cordgrass is present in the restored marsh.	1
Brackish / freshwater marsh	Not specified	1989/90 - cattails, spiny rush and bulrush are present	6
Uplands	Not specified	1989/90 - dunes, levees and ruderal grassland	6

ANIMAL USE			Source
Birds	1990-94 - surveys were a minimum of twice monthly at the Talbert Marsh in 1990 and once a month on both the high and low tide in 1991 through 1994. 64 species of water birds were identified over the five year monitoring period,		14
	including 11 species of special concern. 24 land birds were identified during the same period including two species of special concern.
Fish	1991 - seine surveys at two stations in May, July and Sept. 1991. Seven species of fish from all surveys were identified and included topsmelt, arrow goby, killifish and mudsuckers.		15
Benthic Invertebrates	1990/91 - core samples at four sites at both the high and low tide zone at Talbert Marsh , March 90 through Sept. 91. Invertebrates from six phylum were identified; Nemertea, Annelida, Arthropoda, Mullusca, Phoronides		15
	and Echinodermata, for a total of 30 species.
Insect	Not specified.
Other Wildlife	Not specified.
Special Status Species	1995 - Belding's Savannah sparrow, California least tern, California brown pelican, common loon, double-crested cormorant, long-billed curlew, elegant tern, least tern, black skimmer, and snowy plover.		1

OUTLOOK			Source
Enhancement Status	Tidal action was restored to Tablet Marsh in 1989. This restoration project included relocation of the Talbert Channel ocean outlets, development of intertidal mud-flats, and refuge islands. Numerous other studies have been		1, 12
	completed on part or all of the various six sites to determine the potential for restoration with limited results. The City of Huntington Beach has amended the Local Coastal Program (1996) to identify this area as within the coastal
	zone and designated it as Coastal Conservation. Caltran completed (1990/91) a dune restoration project along the Pacific Coast Highway adjacent to Talbert Marsh.
Watershed Management	85% of the watershed is developed and the remaining is expected to be completely developed by 2040. In 1989 the Talbert and Huntington Channels were upgraded and retention basin installed upstream which will affect sediment transport and peak flood flows through Talbert Marsh.		1
Pressure	Water quality from urban run-off, the close proximity of industrial plants, and traffic volumes along the Pacific Coast Highway contribute to environmental stress of the		3
	Talbert marsh. The other sites along the Pacific Coast Highway continue to degrade due to inappropriate recreational uses, disconnection from tidal action, and urban encroachment.

SOURCES
1	Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy. 1990. The Talbert Marsh restoration project monitoring report #1, pre-restoration to spring, 1990. 25 pp., plus technical appendices.
	Describes the monitoring process to be established for the Talbert Marsh restoration project. Report contains information of the pre-condition of the marsh (1989), a brief history on the restoration work and monitoring results for 1990. The technical appendices contain the results of fish and invertebrate surveys, physical conditions and aviarn use.
2	California Coastal Conservancy. 1987. Huntington wetlands enhancement project, staff recommendation. 12 pp., plus attachments.
	Staff report recommends authorizing $459,000 for property acquisition and restoration plan implementation. A general summary of the proposed restoration project, with comments addressing the Caltrans' widening of the Pacific Coast Highway and the realignment of the Orange County's Talbert flood control channel adjacent to the restoration site. Also discusses the mitigation requirements for loss of dune habitat. In total 27 acres of wetlands would be restored and managed by the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy.
3	Philip Williams & Assoc., Wetland Research Associates, and Barbara Massey, for the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy. 1987. Huntington Beach wetlands restoration plan including Talbert Channel. 61 pp., plus attachments.
	The final restoration plan for the degraded 17 acre Talbert Marsh at Huntington Beach is presented. A history of the site is provided, along with the physical and environmental setting, and biological resources from previous reports and recent field work. Detailed grading and planting plans are included. Appendix provides comments by reviewing agencies.
4	Robert Bein, William Frost & Assoc. for the County of Orange. 1984. Draft environmental impact report for the Talbert channel flood control improvements. 190 pp., plus appendices.
	The EIR covers Talbert, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley Channels. Project includes improvement to the channels, additional retarding basins and a revised ocean outlet. Description of the environmental setting, impacts and mitigation measures are explored. Appendices provide hydrological data and biological resources assessment.
5	Caltrans District 7. 1987. Final EIR for proposed widening of the Pacific Coast Highway. 150 pp.
	Proposed is widening of the Pacific Coast Highway from 4 to 6 planes, from route 55 to Golden West Street in the Cities of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Potential impacts are identified and mitigation measures are proposed for loss of landscaping, sensitive habitat and foraging areas for the California Least Tern.
6	Department of Fish and Game. 1988. Determination of the status of the Huntington Beach wetlands. 35 pp.
	The report presents the Department's determination regarding the Huntington Beach Wetlands designation pursuant to the Coastal Act. Report includes: summary of major findings, a general site history, a description of the extent of historical wetlands, current status of the wetlands, designation of wetland areas, and restoration potential within the study area.
7	Regional Water Quality Control Board. 1989. Water quality control plan for the Santa Ana River basin. 200 pp.
	The plan includes information on the quality of inland surface waters, coastal waters, reservoirs and lakes, and ground water in Orange County. It identifies beneficial uses supported by these waters and provides a plan for their protection.
8	Regional Water Quality Control Board. 1994. Water quality assessment.
	This information is from the state's water quality assessment data base. Includes the water quality assessment for estuaries in Orange County. Information is provided on water quality (impaired and threatened), includes a brief summary of the problem.
9	Philip Williams & Assoc., and Romberg Tiburon Center for California Coastal Conservancy. 1990. Conceptual plan for enhancement of the Edison and Piccirelli properties at Huntington Beach. 11 pp. plus appendix.
	A proposed enhancement plan (with cost estimate) for 33 acres along the Pacific Coast Highway between the restored Talbert Marsh and the Edison power plant. A brief review of physical, environmental and biological condition is presented based on previous field work. Opportunities and constraints for this site are identified. The appendix is a review of habitat requirements for endangered species of birds that could be expected to use the site.
10	Scott Soule and Associates. 1980. An ecological study of certain properties owned by Mills Land and Water Company and the State of California in the City of Huntington Beach, California. 35 pp plus appendices.
	This report is a study of four sites along the Pacific Coast Highway and focusing on the following: 1) flora and fauna of each site, 2) an ecological comparison of each site, 3) an analysis the Department of Fish and Game's wetland assessment and 4) a discussion of possible restoration of the sites.
11	Philip Williams & Assoc., and Romberg Tiburon Center for California Coastal Conservancy. 1989. Preliminary plan for restoration of the Edison and Piccirelli properties at Huntington Beach. 58 pp., plus appendices.
	A survey and restoration proposal for two parcels in the Huntington Beach Wetlands between the restored Talbert Marsh and the Edison power plant. A brief history of the site is given. Soils, topography and hydrology are described based on previous investigations, along with current environmental and biological conditions. Two alternatives for the site are developed along with cost estimates for each alternative.
12	City of Huntington Beach. 1980 (Rev. 1984) Coastal Element of the Huntington Beach General Plan. 154 pp.
	This document was prepared in order to meet Coastal Act requirements. This Coastal Element designates different categories of land uses permitted within the coastal zone and specifies the areas where each land use is appropriate.
13	City of Huntington Beach Department of Development Services. 1982. Non-certified coastal areas: analysis of land use alternatives for the 'White Hole" area. 91 pp.
	The purpose of this document was to examine the existing conditions and future development possibilities on the properties between Beach Boulevard and the Santa Ana River. Information in the report is complied from previous studies, local and state-wide expert opinions and a data base of specific land use scenarios.
14	Massey, Barbara W. for the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy. 1994. Summary of the 5-year period of the post-restoration monitoring at the Talbert Marsh, Huntington Beach, Ca. 16 pp.
	This report summarizes five years of monitoring birds and plants at the restored Huntington Beach wetland from March 1989 through February 1994. This summary outlines the main findings and changes over the five year period, and makes recommendations for additional restoration and monitoring. The report contains survey lists for the birds species observed and a narrative of vegetative growth.
15	Reish Marine Studies, Inc for Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy. 1991. Progress reports on monitoring of benthic invertebrate and fish at Huntington Beach wetland. Reports 1 thru 9.
	These individual monitoring reports (total of 10) contain specific information on sampling sites, methods and species composition. Individual species and number of species are provided for each sampling station. These Progress Reports are summarized in Monitoring Report No. 1 (see citation #1) &Monitoring Report 2 available from the Hunting Beach Wetlands Conservancy.

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