August 10, 2001
Contact: Stephen Velyvis (805) 963-1622

GROUPS CLAIM VICTORY IN ENSURING FURTHER REVIEW OF MISSION CREEK FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT
Coastal Commission Seeks More Information On Proposed Plan

REDONDO BEACH, CA.- The California Coastal Commission (CCC) yesterday sided with environmental groups in their opposition to the City of Santa Barbara and Corps of Engineers' proposed Mission Creek Flood Control Project, demanding additional measures to reduce the project's impacts to endangered species, wetlands and water quality. In an unprecedented action, the Commission invoked new guidelines in order to require the Corps to return at a later date with plans for new protective measures.

"This is a huge victory for advocates of coastal protection," said Steven Velyvis, an attorney with Santa Barbara based Environmental Defense Center. "Although the CCC did not completely reject the project, they did find substantial problems which must now be addressed."
The EDC, which represents the Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper in the Mission Creek case, sought Commission denial of the project due to inconsistencies with the California Coastal Act. The EDC and ChannelKeeper presented scientific evidence illustrating that the project could eliminate all the endangered Tidewater Gobies in the creek. Furthermore, they demonstrated that widening the creek could increase sedimentation and decrease water quality and would require increased bulldozing of the creekbed to remove sediments.

"Our main concern is that this project not be pushed through without first adequately addressing the many impacts associated with it," said Drew Bohan, Executive Director of the ChannelKeeper. "The Commission's decision today effectively upholds the laws of the state."

The CCC approved the project in concept, but not before proposing a series of conditions that must first be met before the project can move forward. This vote of "conditional concurrence" requires the Army Corps and the County/City to develop and implement 1) a management plan for the endangered Tidewater Goby and its estuarine habitat, 2) a native tree planting program for the creek banks, 3) a revised creek maintenance plan that de-emphasizes herbicides and bulldozing, and a 4) a new low flow channel in the creek to support steelhead and other species. The EDC convinced the CCC to retain jurisdiction over these plans and over the flood control project. As a result, the CCC will revisit this issue at a future public hearing to consider the plans and the flood control project's final design.
"These unprecedented requirements send a strong message to the Corps and the City that the proposed project violated the Coastal Act," according to EDC's Brian Trautwein who has championed Mission Creek protection for 12 years. "The new requirements, such as the Tidewater Goby management plan, will help preserve the creek ecosystem."

Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the ecological health of the Santa Barbara Channel, its watersheds and habitats. ChannelKeeper uses advocacy, education, scientific study and enforcement to insure the well being of the Channel. For more information, call (805) 563-3377. The EDC is a non-profit, public interest environmental law firm serving California's Central Coast since 1977. For more information, contact EDC at (805) 963-1622.