Infill started with emergency parking, then permanent parking, then the actual construction of buildings. Other human activities have impacted the lagoon. We have train tracks, I-5, shopping centers and hotels. But the most significant degradation of the lagoon floodplain has been a result of infill by the District. As a result, there have been rivermouth closures, fishkill and the loss of both number and diversity of species.
Floodplains are unique.
Wetlands absorb the waters of dangerous floods and, by so doing, they prevent downstream flooding and disaster. The highest and best use of a floodplain is not development or intense use, but as a rich, complex ecosystem.