The fish die-off on August 10, 2020, followed after the removal of a significant amount of vegetation from the lagoon including an invasive plant, (Ludwigia peploides), which forms an impenetrable mat on the water’s surface. The GWC recorded unusually high pH and phosphate levels. A biologist from the Fish & Wildlife Services was called in and the Marin County’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (MCSTOPPP) did its own water testing.
Every year, the lagoon’s water quality decreases with heat, lack of rain, and evapotranspiration. Just as the removal of plants contributed to a fish die-off driven by depleted oxygen, adding native plants should help restore ecological balance and health to this and other impaired waterways.
Call to action: Let’s do the Wright thing for the Marin Lagoon!
Now is the time to restore the annually impaired waters of our beloved Frank Lloyd Wright Marin Civic Center Lagoon. 2% of the surface area of the lagoon measures 9,382 sq. ft. of living bio-filters.
Wright’s original drawings show a 90% vegetated edge. Restoring a living edge would help prevent bank erosion and filter the water from excessive nutrient loads.
Let’s start by supporting the collaborations of Biomatrix Water and the Indigenous Youth Foundation and install the 9,382 sq. ft. of floating ecosystems and clean-up the Marin Lagoon!