About The Project

In 1974, led by an innovative Board of Directors, MVSD became the first Wastewater Treatment Plant on the West Coast to utilize treated wastewater for wetland creation. The resulting Moorhen Marsh saved the District’s rate payers millions of dollars by eliminating the need for a deep water outfall while establishing a 21-acre habitat that benefits numerous aquatic and terrestrial species. Almost 40 years later, MVSD produced the Moorhen Marsh Management Plan which calls for significant improvements to this historical wetland.

These planned improvements are the Moorhen Marsh Western Pond Turtle Habitat Enhancement Project (Project) and took place in two phases: Phase A in 2017 and Phase B in 2018. The Project involved wetland and riparian habitat enhancements, the excavation of marsh ponds and Peyton Slough, the replacement of water control structures, levee restoration, and visitor access and facility improvements including a new ADA trail and board walk, several new dip netting areas for students, and a rare wetlands plant garden.