The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected the San Francisco Estuary Partnership and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) for a $13.9 million grant to restore approximately 1,500 acres (607 hectares) at Strip Marsh East in Solano County, California.
The site is in the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, beside the State Route 37 corridor. Work to restore it is expected to start in 2028.
The work is slated to lower intake berms and excavate a tidal channel four miles (6.4 kilometres) in length. Material removed during channel work will be used to elevate the marsh and form dozens of high-tide refugia mounds.
The project partners said inadequate drainage leaves water pooled for months before it evaporates, producing highly saline soils. They linked these conditions in part to the loss, since 2000, of 800 acres (324 hectares) of emergent marsh.
ABAG's Executive Board approved acceptance of the award on August 20. It also authorised subawards of up to $10.8 million to the National Audubon Society, $1.34 million to the San Francisco Estuary Institute and $499,614 to the University of California, Davis.
The university will lead research examining how restored marshes can curb shoreline erosion and reduce flood risk.
The grant also supports research on how future precipitation patterns, Delta wetland restoration and sediment demand could influence sediment reaching San Pablo and Suisun bays. It will also fund upgrades to the SediMatch tool, which helps coordinate beneficial sediment reuse.
"Strip Marsh East is the first large-scale nature based solution integrated into a transportation project in the Bay Area," said James Muller, acting director of the San Francisco Estuary Partnership.