LAGUNA BEACH : State Grant to Help Revive Ailing Lakes
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The State Coastal Conservancy has granted a Laguna Beach environmental group $75,000 to help restore the decaying Laguna Lakes, the only existing natural lakes in Orange County.
According to Laguna Greenbelt Inc., a grass-roots environmental group established in 1968, the lakes have been invaded by unhealthy algae and vegetation due to the Southland’s four-year drought. Also, development in nearby areas has degraded the lakes, located at the base of the Laguna Canyon, the environmental group said.
“The Greenbelt board is very excited about getting the grant because we feel this is a very positive step toward bringing back the lakes to what they once were,” said Greenbelt President Elisabeth Brown.
Along with providing an analysis of the natural resources and operations of the lakes, “the money will help to rehabilitate the landscape” around them, Brown said.
The restoration and preservation of the lakes are essential because they are a part of the 2,150-acre Laguna Laurel, a parcel that the city and local environmental groups recently arranged to purchase from the Irvine Co.
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