$20 million project to restore wildlife, expand trails and boost flood protection along San Francisco Bay nears finish

"Workers are putting the finishing touches on a three-year effort to restore 435 acres of former industrial salt evaporation ponds to natural wetlands and tidal marshes. The $20 million project, scheduled to be completed by the end of December, is part of a longer effort in which state, federal and environmental agencies are converting thousands of acres of former salt ponds that ring the South Bay, Peninsula and East Bay back to habitat for ducks and shorebirds."

"Marshes clean the water, said Dave Halsing, executive project manager of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, which is overseeing the Mountain View work. They absorb wave energy to reduce flooding and sea level rise. They provide richer, more productive wildlife habitat. It's what belongs here. We are putting things back to the way they were as much as we can."

Workers completed a three-year, $20 million restoration converting 435 acres of industrial salt evaporation ponds in Mountain View into tidal wetlands, marshes, and public bayfront hiking trails. The site, Pond A2W, lies near Shoreline Amphitheater about one mile north of Google's headquarters. The project is part of a broader effort to restore 15,100 acres of former salt ponds acquired from Cargill in 2003 for $100 million. Restored marshes improve water quality, absorb wave energy to reduce flooding and sea level rise, and create productive habitat for ducks, shorebirds, fish, leopard sharks, bat rays and harbor seals.

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