Pescadero Lagoon Interim Management Project

Pescadero Lagoon Interim Management Project

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center proposes to manually breach the Pescadero Lagoon sandbar up to three times per year for approximately three years and potentially up to five years. The project is designed to reduce Delta-Butano Marsh inundation prior to a natural breach event to avoid decreased water quality within Pescadero Lagoon and reduce the likelihood of a fish kill upon opening of the lagoon. Project work will consist of excavating a shallow channel across the sandbar at the mouth of Pescadero Creek. The excavated channel will be approximately 300 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 3 to 4 feet below the lagoon water surface elevation. The channel will extend from the edge of the lagoon to the ocean. Excavated sand (approximately 200-800 cubic yards) will be deposited on the beach. Since the location and timing of sandbar formation varies year-to-year, specific excavation locations, sizes and volumes may vary, and will be determined following a site-specific evaluation of conditions (size and volume of the lagoon, water quality levels in the lagoon, marsh inundation, and inflow and tidal regimes) prior to implementation. Historically, the sandbar has formed anywhere from 200 feet west to 100 feet east of the Highway 1 Bridge, and breaching activities will occur within this area.

San Mateo