- December 19, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
article
Four M Contracting, equipment operators, cut an area that will be a tidal marsh at the Contra Costa County Flood Control District’s Lower Walnut Creek and Pacheco Marsh restoration project in Martinez, Calif. on Thursday, June 17, 2021. (Ray Saint Ge
On Oct. 29, the waters of the Suisun Bay breached the levee along the northern shoreline of Martinez and flowed into the Pacheco Marsh. The breach was the culmination of a process that took 18 years, $24 million in funds, and dirt. Lots of dirt.
“Dirt is cheap,” said Paul Detjens, the project manager of the Pacheco Marsh restoration project, “but moving the dirt from one place to another is expensive.”
Wetland restoration in the Bay Area requires massive amounts of dirt – or sediment – to protect against rising sea levels. Like the Pacheco Marsh, many of the Bay Area’s coastal wetlands are degraded after decades of dredging, draining and construction activity. As sea levels rise,…
