CCA #121 Mission Bay Critical Coastal Area

DESCRIPTION This Critical Coastal Area (CCA) watershed drains into Mission Bay, a large bay adjacent to the San Diego River Estuary in the City of San Diego. Mission Bay is bordered on the inland side by Interstate 5.

Mission Bay is a man-made recreational waterway. The site was historically one of the largest wetlands in San Diego County, and was intermittently one of the outflow points of the San Diego River (along with San Diego Bay). By the end Mission Bay, Near Mouth of the 19th century, dredging and levees had been used to (Copyright © 2002 Kenneth straighten the river estuary and prevent it from entering & Gabrielle Adelman, either bay. During the mid-20th century, the area formerly California Coastal Records known as “False Bay” (Bahía Falsa) was developed for Project). recreational uses, to diversify the City of San Diego’s For more photos, see the primarily military economy. Decades of dredging and landfill California Coastal Records projects have resulted in the present-day Mission Bay. Project. Tecolote Creek and Rose Creek are the two main waterways that flow into Mission Bay. Tecolote Creek drains a large canyon in the middle of residential areas in the City of San Diego, including two colleges (the University of San Diego, and San Diego Mesa College). A golf course and park are located in this canyon. Rose Creek begins in the hills above the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and passes through residential canyons before flowing along Interstate 5 and entering Mission Bay.

Land uses within the CCA watershed are almost entirely recreational and residential. Most of the Mission Bay area is designated as “Mission Bay Park,” which is split evenly between land and water areas. Resorts and beach homes line the western and northern shores of Mission Bay. Near the mouth of the Bay, Belmont Park, an oceanfront amusement area with a roller coaster and other attractions, straddles the sand spit separating the Bay from the ocean. On the eastern side of the Bay along Interstate 5 there is a golf course, a long stretch of park, and a bridge to Fiesta Island. Fiesta Island, the largest island in the Bay, features a racetrack and numerous beaches and parks, including a dog park. Fiesta Island and the east side parks also provide habitat for numerous bird species throughout the year.

The other large island in the bay, Vacation Isle, features beach resorts, a large park, and a boat pond. The south side of the bay alongside the San Diego River Estuary houses SeaWorld, a gigantic aquatic zoo and amusement area, as well as marinas. Quivira Basin, the largest marina in Mission Bay, is directly in front of the mouth of the Bay.

In the waters of Mission Bay, swimming, sailing, wakeboarding, and jet skiing are all common recreational activities. Visitors jog, bike, walk dogs, and sunbathe on the shores. Fishing is also permitted in non-swimming areas. Bird-watching is another common activity, due to the large numbers of endangered species that use the waters of the Bay.

Waterbodies in this CCA that are listed as impaired on the current (2016) Clean Water Act 303(d) list are Mission Bay (impaired by mercury and PCBs); Rose Creek (impaired by

California Coastal Commission – December 2019 Page 1 toxicity, benthic community effects, and selenium); Tecolote Creek (impaired by cadmium, copper, lead, selenium, zinc, toxicity, indicator bacteria, benthic community effects, bifenthrin, cypermethrin, diazinon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and turbidity); Mission Bay Shoreline at Visitors Center (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at De Anza Cove (impaired by indictor bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at Campland (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at North Crown Point (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at Fanual Park (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at Leisure Lagoon (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at Enchanted Cove (impaired by trash); Mission Bay Shoreline at Ski Beach at Vacation Isle (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at North Cove Beach at Vacation Isle (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at Bahia Point (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at Bonita Cove (impaired by indicator bacteria); Mission Bay Shoreline at Bonita Cove, Eastern Shore (impaired by indicator bacteria); Pacific Ocean Shoreline at Crystal Pier (impaired by trash); Pacific Ocean Shoreline at Pacific Beach Drive, Pacific Beach (impaired by trash); and Pacific Ocean Shoreline at Belmont Park, Mission Beach (Near San Fernando Place) (impaired by trash). Potential sources of these pollutants are all listed as Source Unknown.

CRITERIA FOR CCA IDENTIFICATION The Mission Bay Critical Coastal Area (CCA) was identified in 2014 based on the criterion of a coastal watershed where a state-identified Principal Bay or Estuary (Mission Bay) is an impaired waterbody on the 2010 Clean Water Act 303(d) list. See California Department of Fish and Wildlife's "California's Living Marine Resources: A Status Report" (2001) and associated map of the Principal Bays and Estuaries of California.

ADDRESSING POLLUTANTS Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act requires states to make a list of impaired waters that are not attaining water quality standards, and to develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) or similar approach to account for all sources of the pollutants that caused the water to be listed as impaired. TMDLs include allocations to both point and nonpoint sources (NPS) of the listed pollutants. The current (2016) 303(d) list of impaired waterbodies includes pollutants, potential pollutant sources, and year a TMDL was approved or is expected.

To address NPS pollutants, see California’s Nonpoint Source Management Measures for guidance on selecting appropriate Management Measures, which consist of a suite of plans, practices, technologies, operating methods, or other measures that may be used to control NPS pollution.

Information for this factsheet was compiled by the California Coastal Commission’s Water Quality Program staff. Funding for this project has been provided in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) pursuant to Assistance Agreement Nos. C9-79757514; C9-79757515; C9-79757517, and any amendments thereto which have been awarded to the Water Board for the implementation of California’s NPS Program. The content of this document does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the U.S. EPA or the Water Board, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

Mission Bay CCA Factsheet Page 2