Carmel River Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement Project
(Carmel River FREE)

In partnership with the County of Monterey, we are leading the landmark Carmel River Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement (Carmel River FREE) Project. Another example of Big Sur Land Trust's long-term commitment to conservation and land in service of community, Carmel River FREE will restore habitat and help significantly reduce flood risks for homes and businesses in the lower Carmel River watershed.

This project is one of the most extensive and important multi-benefit flood protection and riparian habitat restoration efforts on the Central Coast! Using a nature-based green infrastructure solution, it will reclaim the southern floodplain to direct water away from developed areas north of the river. It includes numerous partners and stakeholders, engineering, design and environmental review, permit approvals and, of course, dollars. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors certified the project's Final Environmental Impact Report in 2020 and in 2021 they approved the project and authorized County staff to move forward to finalize permits and obtain needed agreements and entitlements. In 2022, the Board approved an updated and revised Memorandum of  Understanding (MOU) between the County, BSLT, CA State Department of Parks and Recreation (CSP), Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District (MPRPD), Monterey County Water Resources, and Monterey Peninsula Water Management District for the purpose of coordinating the project’s planning and construction activities.

Big Sur Land Trust’s 128-acre project site at the former Odello (East) Fields was donated to us by Clint Eastwood and Margaret Eastwood.  While Big Sur Land Trust is the largest landowner at the Carmel River FREE site, portions of the project are also located on Palo Corona Regional Park and Carmel River State Beach. Habitat restoration on the project site will be guided by two restoration plans. A Tier 1 Restoration Management Plan will guide compensatory restoration (required by regulatory agencies to mitigate for impacts) on land owned by BSLT and CSP. A Tier 2 Habitat Management Plan will be implemented by BSLT and will guide initial revegetation and ongoing adaptive habitat management (non-compensatory) on BSLT and MPRPD property.

What's happening

BSLT is continuing to work with the County to raise the necessary funds to construct Carmel River FREE. The funding is primarily coming from State and Federal agencies, and we are still waiting for an approximately $27 million grant from FEMA in order to move forward with construction.

Carmel River FREE is still planned to move forward with the construction phase once all necessary funding is secured. In the meantime, BSLT and the County are moving forward together on other project elements (project agreements, final design of the causeway component by Caltrans, etc.).

How you can contribute

Ongoing floodplain restoration and stewardship will require additional funding. Anticipating this critical need, in 2016 we set up a stewardship fund with the Community Foundation for Monterey County. For more information contact Kate Mitchell Mehle at 831.625.5523 ext.105.

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