Sulphur Creek open to the public
Story and photos by Daniel J. Calderón
 (Left to right) Carla J. Whitehead, president of CJW Construction Inc.; Col. Thomas H. Magness IV, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angele District; Mike Whipple, city councilman for the City of Laguna Niguel; Paul Glaab, Laguna Niguel mayor; Robert Ming, Laguna Niguel mayor pro-tem; and Gary Capata, Laguna Niguel city councilman, cut the ribbon April 7 to celebrate the completion of the Sulphur Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project. The $4 million project involved vegetation and riparian habitat restoration of a 2,000-foot long section of the creek. “We’re the Corps of Engineers. We build stuff,” said Col. Thomas H. Magness IV, commander for the Los Angeles District. “The Corps is also looking at opportunities to be involved in projects that involve restoration.”
The Ecosystem Restoration Project increased the area of riparian habitat for the least Bell’s vireo and southwestern willow flycatcher – both are endangered species which can be found in the project area. “This was part of our Urban Stream Restoration Program,” said Susan Wollam, who represented the California Department of Water Resources. The department funded the first phase of the project and was involved with the project through its completion. The $4 million project involved restoration of a 2,000-foot long section of the creek. Corps contractor, CJW Construction, Inc., planted nearly 10,000 plants in the project area. The company also removed concrete liners, riprap and exotic vegetation along the creek and replaced them with natural surfacing, a footbridge and native riparian vegetation. The work done improves water storage capability and nutrient cycling. It also helped re-establish a natural and diverse historical habitat along the creek. “I just found out about the ribbon cutting two weeks ago,” laughed Carla J. Whitehead, president of CJW Construction, Inc. “The project had been scheduled to be completed a month from then. I came down and looked it over. My project manager assured me it would be ready for the ribbon cutting. Looking around today, I’m so happy I was part of this team. I’m so proud my company was able to be here and help this community.” This project furthers the goals of the City of Laguna Niguel’s general plan which places a premium on “preservation and enhancement of the natural setting of the City” and “to strive to improve the City’s existing environmental quality.”  Workers continue to plant vegetation as part of the Sulphur Creek Restoration Project in Laguna
Glaab said the completed work represents the first comprehensive project that had come out of the federal study of the Aliso Creek Watershed. He attributed the great success of the various portions of the project – from the restoration of native vegetation to the new habitat for more than 60 species of birds – to the cooperation among the agencies involved in the work. “The Corps had the lead for the project, but the state Department of Water Resources provided the financial support,” Glaab said. “We work hard every day to ensure our constituents’ needs are served. On behalf of the city of Laguna Niguel, thank you so much.” The project represents the Corps’ continuing commitment to the serving communities and protecting the environment for future generations. “This was an opportunity to serve multiple partners,” said Magness. “This is a project for the future. As far as I know, none of us here is going to be here forever. However, if we continue to move forward on our efforts with environmentally sustainable projects like this one, we can honor our ideals and meet our goals of serving the public trust and sustaining the environment.”
NEW! Click here to view video of Ecosystem Restoration of Sulphur Creek | 
