Outer Bair Island Wetland Enhancement and Creation Project
Redwood City, San Mateo County, California

Client
California Wildlife Foundation for San Francisco International Airport

Dates of Service
May 2000—November 30, 2000: Restoration/Construction Phase, Monitoring Ongoing

Approximate Cost of Project
Restoration/Construction Phase: $5,354,742
Value of LS! Contract: $236,701
Monitoring: $201,087, $73,828

Budget and Project Notes
The project was completed on time and under budget. Note this was an extremely fast project. The final plan had not been prepared in May; we completed construction in November. Innovative approaches to the restoration design resulted in a one-million dollar saving in construction costs.
 

Project Description
Life Science!, Inc. created new wetland habitat and enhanced existing diked pickleweed wetlands on the approximately 207 acre site located on Outer Bair Island. This project was implemented to satisfy Waste Discharge Requirements stipulated by the Regional Water Quality Control Board associated with San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO) Consolidated Wetland Fill Project. SFO contracted with CWF to provide the restored and enhanced habitats at Outer Bair Island.

The project site is located on a portion of Outer Bair Island owned by the State of California that is included in the California Department of Fish and Game’s Bair Island Ecological Reserve. The wetland creation component of the project involved the construction of approximately 30 acres of new seasonal pan habitat and 19 acres of associated high marsh transition habitat within an approximately 53 acre upland dredge disposal area at the southwest corner of the project site. In addition, creation of 6 acres of tidal salt marsh habitat was achieved through the removal of an existing levee and the re-establishment of marsh plane elevations. The enhancement component of the project involved restoring tidal circulation to approximately 148 acres of former tidal salt marsh/diked pickleweed habitat through the breach of an existing levee.

Deliverables

• Restoration Plan/Construction Specifications
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Nationwide 27 Permit Application
• Draft Biological Opinion Submitted to US FWS for Section 7 Consultation
• Regional Water Quality Control Board, Water Quality Certification
• Bay Area Conservation and Development Commission, Permit
• Annual Monitoring Reports

Key Project Staff
Lisa Stallings, Project Director

Primary Subcontractor
LSA Associates, Inc., an engineering firm.
 

Bair Island

Life Science! Inc.
2444 Harrington Avenue
Oakland, CA 94601
phone: (510) 261-5667