The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority

Background

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA) is a governmental entity developed in 2006 by a joint powers agreement of the State Coastal Conservancy, the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy and the cities of Long Beach and Seal Beach. Created for the purpose “to provide for a comprehensive program of acquisition, protection, conservation, restoration, maintenance and operation and environmental enhancement of the Los Cerritos Wetlands area consistent with the goals of flood protection, habitat protection and restoration, and improved water supply, water quality, groundwater recharge, and water conservation.” The LCWA has the ability to acquire and own real property, but it does not have the power of eminent domain.

There are several groups with the name “Los Cerritos” and many of them are our partners and you can find links to them in our Stewardship Program page; however, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority is currently the only land-owning entity in the conservation area with the stated goals of conservation and restoration. The LCWA is actively pursuing those goals and has adopted the Los Cerritos Wetlands Conceptual Restoration Plan to better plan for future restoration. In addition to this the Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Plan has been created to better inform the restoration design. The Final Environmental Impact Report has also been certified by the board and preliminary designs are currently underway, including phasing for each property the LCWA currently owns, as well as those which we aim to acquire.

Major Achievements of the LCWA

Below, you will find a short list of some of our major achievements since 2006 as we are working to achieve our mission of protecting the wetlands.

• LCWA formed February 2006
• 66 acres of former Bryant Property were acquired in June 2006 with critical assistance from Signal Hill Petroleum
• 5 acres of former Edison property were acquired in Fall 2007
• Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewardship Program was adopted Fall 2009
• 100 acres of former Hellman Properties, LLC were acquired in December 2010
• The Conceptual Restoration Plan process began in May 2011
• The Final Conceptual Restoration Plan was released in August 2015
• Preparation of a Program Environmental Impact Report began in December 2017
• The Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Plan was created
• The Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was approved and certified.