The City of Oceanside has begun an effort to restore the Loma Alta Slough, a coastal wetland at the mouth of Loma Alta Creek in South Oceanside. Construction started in May and is expected to continue through April 2027. The $6 million project is funded by grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State Coastal Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Ocean Protection Council. The slough is a seasonally tidal estuary at the end of the seven-mile-long Loma Alta Creek. It is a highly dynamic system, shifting between salt water and brackish water throughout the year as conditions change at the ocean inlet. … In Oceanside’s early years, the slough was an expansive coastal salt marsh covering more than 40 acres. Over the past 50 years, development in the surrounding floodplain shrunk the wetland to about eight acres.

Other wetland restoration news:

• McGill University: Blog: Restored wetlands aren’t clear-cut wins against climate change, McGill study suggests