Ecological revival returning life to Laguna, removing contaminants, easing flood danger
In Northern California, before European settlement it’s been said that clouds of birds would block out the sun and one could cross a river by walking across the backs of fish. According to historic accounts, the Laguna de Santa Rosa was once such a place. That’s the 22-mile-long network of wetlands that drains the Santa Rosa plain. After a century of degradation, restoration is underway. Once a thriving wetland, history hasn’t been kind to the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Historic dumping of untreated sewage, industrial and agricultural waste and cities growing up around it have all taken a toll. State health officials still recommend limitations on eating certain fish caught there, due to mercury and PCB contamination.