The second phase of the San Dieguito Lagoon restoration reached a significant milestone last week. On June 6, a collection of SANDAG and Caltrans engineers and biologists gathered to witness the active release of berm at the restoration project site, opening up the saltwater marsh inlet to the tidal flow. Rather than sending an epic torrent of water into the lagoon, an excavator simply moved some dirt aside and the water slowly began to trickle in. Kim Smith, SANDAG senior regional planner, said while it may have appeared anticlimactic, it was an incredibly exciting moment for staff to see on a project about 12 years in the making. … Water will flow through the new inlet as the construction continues in its final months of a three and a half year process, anticipated to be complete in September. Eventually water will flow nearly all the way to El Camino Real, stopping near the SDG&E utility corridor that runs through the site.

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