Back in 2023, a series of storms caused flooding in Morro Bay and severe erosion along Morro Creek, causing a loss of about 80 feet of the overbank.
After permitting from different agencies that included the Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Department of Fish and Wildlife, crews broke ground on Thursday to restore it.
“So we’ve got biologists on site at all times, monitoring the stream bank, stream bed and we’ve got archaeological monitors,” said Nate Stong, Morro Bay City Engineer.
Stong a pre-construction biology survey was done to make sure habitat isn’t disturbed.
“Looking for tidewater goby, red-legged frog, anything of turtles, any species of concern and thankfully, you know, nothing was found before or during construction to hold us up," Stong said.
Now, crews are stabilizing the creek by adding boulders along the sides.
“Started the job off by digging it all out, the existing material, making a pile here, now we’re hauling it all up top but then we imported in four-ton boulders, which is the largest that go in the bottom and then we did some one-ton," said Brayden Kahler, project worker.
Kahler said that old concrete found in the channel was not just thrown out.
“There was these big concrete boxes, punched little holes in them and make it all cave in, and then David put it in the bottom of it," Kahler said. "It’s nice we reused our materials."
According to a staff report, the cost of the project should not exceed $500,000.
Stong said the project is expected to wrap up this week and there will be ongoing monitoring of the area for landscaping and biology for the next five years.
