Vernal Pool Restoration & Mitigation Evaluation

Great Ecology developed a restoration plan and conducted mitigation bank evaluations for an approximate 3-acre undeveloped parcel with natural vernal pools in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego. This included site biological surveys to evaluate the enhancement potential of the land and development of conceptual plans for pool basin designs that mimic the structure of adjacent pools. Our staff coordinated with local city and state agencies as well as private parties to assess the local need for onsite natural resource mitigation, conducted preliminary reviews of the parcel, and presented several conceptual mitigation bank design plans to the Interagency Review Team (IRT). The IRT included representatives from USACE, USFWS, and the Region 9 California Water Quality Control Board to develop interest in the project and better understand allowable and preferred restoration designs in the region. Furthermore, we conducted pro-forma to determine the cost-benefit associated with the development of a vernal pool turnkey mitigation.