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Carlsbad Awards More Than $373K In Grants For Coastal Restoration

Carlsbad City Council awarded $373,687 in grants to support certain agricultural, coastal or wetland restoration projects that enhance quality of life in Carlsbad, including a “living shoreline” project.

Posted on March 20, 2023

Carlsbad City Council, during its March 7 meeting, awarded $373,687 in grants to support certain agricultural, coastal or wetland restoration projects that enhance quality of life in Carlsbad, including a “living shoreline” project that will restore a section of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon.

Funding for the grants comes from fees that are paid by developers when agricultural land in the city’s coastal zone is used for development, the city said, adding that a seven-member citizens committee appointed by council reviewed the grant applications and recommended the projects for funding.

Carlsbad Aquafarms was awarded $230,000 to create a living shoreline project on 11,483 square feet of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, east of I-5 near the strawberry fields.

The award to create the living shoreline, which will use natural materials such as plants, sand or rocks to stabilize a coastal edge, was the largest given, the city said.

Unlike a concrete seawall or other hard structure, which inhibit plant growth, living shorelines grow over time and the Carlsbad Aquafarm project involves installing native Olympia oyster reefs and Eelgrass meadows along a section of the lagoon to provide a foraging area and habitat for a diverse community of fish, invertebrates and birds, helping to improve water quality and stabilize the shoreline.

The project will take about three years to complete, including planning, restoration and post-restoration monitoring, the city said.

Other grants included $62,000 to the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation for improvements to its Discovery Center, including replacing doors and new interior flooring, $50,000 to the Flower Fields for a pilot project in a controlled area testing whether recycled water mixed with drinking water can be used in flower production and $30,687 to the Buena Vista Audubon Society to spruce up and increase energy efficiency at its Nature Center.

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