Final EIR

Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act, has prepared a Final EIR for the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project.

CDFW, in partnership with the State Coastal Conservancy and The Bay Foundation, has spent years working with the public and envisioning a plan for the revitalization of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (BWER). The Ballona Wetlands were once an approximate 2,000-acre expanse of marshes, mud flats, salt pans and sand dunes that stretched from Playa del Rey to Venice and inland to the Baldwin Hills. Today, BWER is less than 600 acres of open space, all that remains of the former wetlands, now owned by the people of California and managed by CDFW. See the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project for more information. CDFW will use the Final EIR to inform any future decision regarding restoration of the BWER.

The Final EIR, appendices, and all documents referenced in the Final EIR are available for public review during normal working hours at the following locations:

      • California State Coastal Conservancy, 1515 Clay St., 10th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612
      • Los Angeles Public Library, Playa Vista Branch, 6400 Playa Vista Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90094
      • County of Los Angeles Public Library, Lloyd Taber-Marina del Rey, 4533 Admiralty Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292
      • Los Angeles Public Library, Westchester-Loyola Village Branch, 7114 W Manchester Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90045

CDFW anticipates the following timeline:

      • CDFW begins preparing the next 408 application submittal to the Army Corps of Engineers, including 60 percent design plans and detailed engineering technical analyses (roughly six to 10 months)
      • Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD) provides input and agrees to submit the 408 application submittal on behalf of CDFW (roughly three months)
      • LACFCD submits 408 application submittal to the Army Corps of Engineers for its review and processing (roughly 12 months), and subsequent review by the Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (unknown). Army Corps of Engineers finalizes the Environmental Impact Statement
      • CDFW seeks approvals from other agencies, e.g. Coastal Commission, Regional Water Quality Control Board, etc. (timing depends on the permitting agency’s process)

Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in partnership with the State Coastal Conservancy and The Bay Foundation, has spent years working with the public and envisioning a plan for the revitalization of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (BWER). The Ballona Wetlands were once an approximate 2,000-acre expanse of marshes, mud flats, salt pans and sand dunes that stretched from Playa del Rey to Venice and inland to the Baldwin Hills. Today, BWER is less than 600 acres of open space, all that remains of the former wetlands, now owned by the people of California and managed by CDFW. See the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project [http://ballonarestoration.org/] for more information.

CDFW, as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act, is coordinating the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project. CDFW is soliciting comments on the Draft EIR. Following are download links for all sections of the DEIR:

Notice of Availability (PDF) [http://bit.ly/2zeQsvf]

Public Notice – Extension of Comment Period (PDF) [http://bit.ly/2zVMBjR]