Malibu Lagoon Ready for Grand Reopening

As Shelly Luce and Suzanne Goode looked out over Malibu Lagoon Wednesday afternoon, it was so quiet, peaceful and serene it was hard to imagine all the loud, acrimonious controversy that has surrounded it.

With thousands of tiny little flags blowing in the soft breeze out in front of them and just a few surfers carrying their boards by the shore off in the distance, the two spoke to Patch about the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project, contemplating 10 months of work that is now just about finished.

"It is ready right now, ready to go. The project is in great shape," said Luce, who is director of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, which was involved in the funding, construction and planting of native plants in the lagoon. "It went better than I think we ever could have hoped, once we got underway. Now we are looking at all these tiny little flags, which is to mark the location of every native plant that’s been planted."

A watershed fountain that is part of the project still needs to be installed. The $7 million project included the dredging of the lagoon, removal of sediment, recontouring of the western walls, reconfiguration of the water channels, removal of some pedestrian bridges, installation of shading structures and the planting of an estimated 68,000 native plants.

The project was led by California State Parks. Partners included the California State Coastal Conservancy, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Monica Baykeeper and the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation.

The project sparked significant local debate during its planning, with some saying the lagoon was unhealthy because it lacked enough oxygen in the water and was in need of an overhaul, and others saying it was fine and only in need of being left alone.

The project saw picketers and protests during the construction, lawsuits, battles within the Malibu City Council, schedule delays and even the promise of protesters at the grand reopening ceremony, which is scheduled for May 3. With the lagoon being such an iconic location famous around the world as one of the home bases for surfing culture, the controversy was even covered by ESPN and the New York Times at one point, with stories highlighting some local surfers' opinion that the project could destroy "the best wave in the world." For a full history of the project, check out Patch's Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project page.

"Most of the people that we have toured around here think it looks fantastic. There are some who were opposed to it who are finding fault with it every opportunity they get, no matter how small," said Goode, a senior environmental scientist for California State Parks who oversaw the project. "So I’d say there’s all different opinions but we’ve had a very good reaction from people that know what it was before and what the vision was."

Goode explained the process behind the restoration.

"It’s a lot better now and the oxygen levels are higher and once these plants fill in, we’ll have nesting islands for birds that predators can’t get to," Goode said. "Before, the bridges connected all the islands, so the cats and dogs and everything could get over to the birds. Now they won’t be able to."

Goode and Luce also said they weren't sure if the fountain would be installed before the grand reopening.

"But we’re done with the major construction. It feels great," Goode said. "If I miss a week or so and see the plants growing and see it looking good and seeing people use the features, it feels great, and I will feel even better a year from now when everything is filled in."