History of Ballona Lagoon

History of Ballona Lagoon (HM2DHG)

Location: Marina del Rey, CA 90292 Los Angeles County
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Country: United States of America
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N 33° 58.462', W 118° 27.677'

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Inscription
Today, Ballona Lagoon is a (16-acre) remnant of a formerly extensive coastal wetland. Like other southern California wetlands, urbanization has reduced its size and degraded its habitat over the last century. Historically, Ballona was much larger (2,200 acres), and formed over a much longer period (18,000
years).

As the last glacial period ended, rising sea levels inundated the mouth of Ballona Creek to create Ballona Bay along the base of Del Rey Bluffs. Over time, sand spits eventually closed-off the outer bay to create a lagoon, while creek sediments filled the inner bay. Extensive salt and fresh-water marshlands developed.

The earliest settlers arrived about 7,000 years ago. The Tongva people lived in scattered campsites along the bluff tops. From 3,000 to 1,000 years ago, settlements were established below the bluffs, initially along Ballona Creek, and then at Ballona Lagoon.

In the early 1900's, Abbot Kinney constructed the Venice Canals, and tapped into Ballona Lagoon as a water source. Oil was discovered in the late 1920's. Production peaked during the 1930's, but persisted until the 1970's. As oil reserves decreased, residential and other development increased. Ballona Creek's channelization (1930's), and Marina Del Rey's construction (1960's), permanently split Ballona Lagoon from



its twin (named, "Del Rey Lagoon") to the south.

In recent years, community concern about Ballona Lagoon's deterioration led to the establishment of Ballona Lagoon Marine Preserve in 1988. Community intervention halted a proposed marina in 1997. The east bank was restored in 1999, while the west bank will be restored by 2012.
Details
HM NumberHM2DHG
Tags
Placed ByCity of Los Angeles
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, January 12th, 2019 at 1:02pm PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)11S E 365007 N 3760275
Decimal Degrees33.97436667, -118.46128333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 33° 58.462', W 118° 27.677'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds33° 58' 27.72" N, 118° 27' 40.62" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)310, 323
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling North
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 25 E Jib St, Marina del Rey CA 90292, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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