Aliso Creek Estuary Restoration Plan
Status | Planning | County | Orange |
---|---|---|---|
Project Type | Non-mitigation | Location | 33.51170° N, -117.75142° W Map |
Project Area (Acres) | 6.00 | Last Updated | 26 June 2025 |
Project Abstract | The proposed project is restoration of the Aliso Creek Estuary to a healthy, functional ecosystem. The Aliso Creek Estuary is a coastal estuary located at the mouth of Aliso Creek within Aliso Beach Park in South Laguna. In its current state the estuary is a degraded lagoon with no significant habitat value. | ||
Project Groups | Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project | ||
Administrative Region | Southern California Wetland Recovery Project - Katie Nichols, State Coastal Conservancy |
Project Identification
ID | Type |
---|---|
No Data |
Habitat Plan
Site Name | Phase | Activity | SubActivities | Habitat | SubHabitat | Acres | Activity Status | Water Regime |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aliso Creek Estuary | Conceptual design | Restoration (unspecified) | Estuarine Wetland | Marsh | 6.00 | Planning completed | ||
Aliso Creek Estuary | Preliminary design | Restoration (unspecified) | Estuarine Wetland | Marsh | 6.00 | Planning in-progress |
Related Habitat Impacts
Impact Project Name | Habitat | Acres Lost | Type of Loss |
---|---|---|---|
No Data |
Sites
Name | Status | Acres |
---|---|---|
Aliso Creek Estuary | Planning/Scoping | 12.00 |
Events
People
Type | Name | Organization | Department |
---|---|---|---|
Partner | Ed Almanza | Unknown/Unspecified | Not applicable/Unknown |
Agency Staff | Katie Nichols | State Coastal Conservancy | South Coast |
Funding
Funding Need: $221,000
Phase | Activity | Funder | Amount |
---|---|---|---|
Preliminary design | Restoration (unspecified) | Unknown/Unspecified | $624,920 |
Conceptual design | Restoration (unspecified) | Unknown/Unspecified | $330,000 |
Related CRAM Assessments
Visit Date | Version | Site Name | Wetland Type | Index Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024-10-08 | 6.1 | Aliso Creek Mouth | tidal riverine | 47 |
Performance Measures
Plan Name | Plan Goal | Performance Measure | Measure Value | Status | Evaluation Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 Regional Strategy | Goal 1: Restore Coastal Wetlands | 1B. Restore wetlands after 24" of SLR | 2.753 acres | in-progress/partially achieved | |
2018 Regional Strategy | Goal 1: Restore Coastal Wetlands | 5A. Protect existing transition zones up to 1,600' from wetland | Yes | in-progress/partially achieved | |
2018 Regional Strategy | Goal 1: Restore Coastal Wetlands | 5B. Increase transition zones for at least 40% of wetland perimeter | Yes | in-progress/partially achieved | |
2018 Regional Strategy | Goal 1: Restore Coastal Wetlands | 5C. Increase non-contiguous transition zones up to 1,600' from wetland | Yes | in-progress/partially achieved | |
2018 Regional Strategy | Goal 1: Restore Coastal Wetlands | 5D. Create adjacent habitat for upstream migraiton of wetlands after 24" of SLR | Yes | in-progress/partially achieved | |
2018 Regional Strategy | Goal 1: Restore Coastal Wetlands | 6A. Restore tidal characteristics (range, extent, & residence time) | Yes | in-progress/partially achieved | |
2018 Regional Strategy | Goal 1: Restore Coastal Wetlands | 6B. Restore watershed freshwater & sediment flows (volume, frequency, & timing) | No | in-progress/partially achieved | |
2018 Regional Strategy | Goal 1: Restore Coastal Wetlands | 6C. Restore or manage sediment inputs for wetland migration after 24" of SLR | Yes | in-progress/partially achieved |
Name | File Type | Submitted On | Submitted By |
---|---|---|---|
Site Photo | Photo | 2025-06-03 | Kellan Warner, State Coastal Conservancy |
WRP Project Page | Other | 2025-06-03 | Kellan Warner, State Coastal Conservancy |
How to Use the Habitat Development Curve
Habitat Development Curves (HDCs) are used to determine the developmental status and trajectory of on-the-ground projects to create, restore, or enhance California wetland and stream habitats. Each HDC is based on assessments of habitat condition for different age areas of one habitat type that in aggregate represent the full spectrum of habitat development. The assessments of condition are provided by expert applications of the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM). Visit the CRAM website for more information about CRAM.
For each HDC, reference condition is represented by areas of a habitat that consistently get very high CRAM scores, have not been subject to disruptive management practices, and exist within landscapes that are protected and managed for their natural conditions. The horizontal lines intersecting the top of an HDC represent the mean CRAM score and standard deviation of scores for 25 qualifying reference areas.
The age of a project is estimated as the elapsed time in years between the groundwork end date for the project and the date of the CRAM assessment. To add or update a groundwork end date, use the Project Events form in Project Tracker (ptrack.ecoatlas.org). The minimum age in years of a non-project area, including any natural reference area, is estimated from all available local information, including historical maps and imagery, historical written accounts, and place-specific scientific studies of habitat development.
An HDC can be used to address the following questions:
- At what time in the future will the area of assessed habitat achieve the reference condition or other milestones in habitat development? The HDC can answer this question if the CRAM score for the assessed area is within the confidence interval of the HDC. The answer is the time in years along the HDC between the current age of the assessed area and the future date corresponding to the intersection of the HDC and the reference condition or other milestone.
- Is the area of assessed habitat likely to develop faster, slower, or at the same pace as most other areas of the same habitat type? The habitat area is likely to develop faster, slower, or at the same pace if the CRAM score for the area is above, below, or within the confidence interval of the HDC, respectively.
- What can be done to improve the condition of the habitat area or to increase its rate of development? HDCs by themselves cannot answer this question. Possible answers can be inferred by the following analysis that involves HDCs:
- Examine the HDC for each of the four CRAM Attributes;
- Identify the Attribute(s) scoring below the HDC;
- For any low-scoring Attribute, examine the component Metric Scores (note: the Metric Scores for any public CRAM assessment in the CRAM database can be obtained through EcoAtlas);
- Assume the low score of an Attribute is due to its low-scoring Metric(s);
- Consider modifying the design or management of the habitat area in ways that will sustainably increase its score(s) for the low-scoring Metric(s).
For more information about CRAM Attributes and Metrics, including their scientific rationale, see the CRAM Manual.