Ballona Wetlands: Coastal Commission Approves Gas Company Well Repair

On July 12, the California Coastal Commission approved a permit allowing Southern California Gas Company to carry out mechanical integrity testing and/or plugging and abandonment of two natural gas wells, named Del Rey 4 and Del Rey 9, that are part of its underground natural gas storage facility partly located within the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve.

Above: Location of the subject gas wells

The project is required to bring the wells into compliance with the California Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) regulations. That agency regulates gas, oil and mining in our state.

CalGEM identified an urgent need for testing and/or abandonment of the wells due to concerns that their integrity may be compromised. CalGEM also recently instructed SoCal Gas to fill Del Rey 9 with heavy fluid to prevent any gas from leaking.

If SoCal Gas decides to plug and abandon both wells, it would need to obtain additional approvals to replace them elsewhere.

Separately, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife called for wells in the Ecological Reserve to be plugged and abandoned to clear the way for the proposed Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project, which has been delayed by activist litigation.

Above: Rendering of the state’s proposed Ballona Wetlands Restoration.

Because the proposed work at Del Rey 4 and 9 includes the use of heavy equipment near sensitive wetland vegetation, the project requires a coastal development permit. Ordinarily, operation and maintenance work at existing facilities does not require a coastal permit.

Due to the presence of the endangered Belding’s Savannah Sparrow near the wells, the Commission imposed several customary permit conditions, including prohibiting work during the nesting season.

Above: the Belding’s Savannah Sparrow lives only in tidal wetland pickleweed, shown in this photo taken at Ballona.

Several public members spoke at the hearing, including activist Marcia Hanscom, one of four plaintiffs who sued Fish and Wildlife to try and stop the Ballona Restoration. Hanscom and others made various unsupported statements about habitat damage and asked the Commission to deny the Gas Company permit. Instead, the Commission unanimously approved it. The meeting can be viewed in its entirety at the link in references below.

References

Coastal Commission Staff Report, Application No. 9-23-0817 (SoCalGas – Del Rey 4 and 9). https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2024/7/F9b/F9b-7-2024-report.pdf

Coastal Commission video archive of July 12, 2024 public meeting. https://cal-span.org/meeting/ccc_20240712/

Marina Patch. Endangered Species at Ballona? August 17, 2018. https://patch.com/california/marinadelrey/endangered-species-ballona-heard-it-through-grapevine

Marina Patch: Ballona Wetlands Shakedown. February 10, 2024. https://patch.com/california/marinadelrey/opinion-ballona-wetlands-shakedown

Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!

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Author’s disclosure of affiliations:

Dr. David W. Kay served on the Board of Directors of the non-profit Friends of Ballona Wetlands from 2007 until 2015, and served as Board President in 2012-13. He presently serves on the Board of Ballona Discovery Park in Playa Vista.

Dr. Kay is a staunch advocate for the state of California's plans to restore the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve.

From 1984 until 2022, Dr. Kay was employed by Southern California Edison Company, exclusively in the company's environmental services organizations. His many responsibilities included restoration of the 440-acre San Dieguito Wetlands near Del Mar. He retired in 2022 as Senior Manager for Major Project Environmental Management at the company, after 38 years of service.

Dr. Kay earned bachelor and masters degrees in biology and a doctorate in environmental science.

See Dr. Kay’s Patch Community Contributor profile here.