Bond would give Bolsa Chica $20 million

A state bond measure slated to go before voters in the next general election would allot at least $20 million for protection and restoration of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

The $11.1-billion package, known as the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, was passed by the Legislature on Wednesday. The act seeks to overhaul the state’s water system to ensure safe drinking water and a reliable water supply.

Among the projects earmarked in the measure are the preservation of Bolsa Chica and its adjacent uplands as well as interpretive centers on the property.

Mark Gaughan, the board chairman of the nonprofit Bolsa Chica Conservancy, said the measure, if passed, would help his group in its current plans to build an Education and Restoration Center in the Harriett M. Wieder Regional Park.

“We are enthusiastic about working closely with the state to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to learn about the ecological wonders of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in a future state-of-the-art facility that may include laboratories for hands-on science activities, classrooms, bird-watching viewing decks, discovery trails and restoration corridors of native plant habitats,” Gaughan said in a release.

The general election will take place Nov. 2, 2010.