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Topanga Lagoon Restoration Project Overview
Background
Topanga Lagoon, located within Topanga State Park, is a special place – it is one of the last remnants of a coastal wetland in California. Its unique mix of salt and freshwater habitats acts as a natural filtration system to protect water quality. Topanga Lagoon and Creek also host some of the rarest fish and wildlife species in the area. Its beach is not only a popular place to sunbathe and pursue outdoor recreation activities, but also buffers local facilities from storm damage.
Once containing 30 acres of pristine wetlands, Topanga Lagoon has been whittled down to less than 1 acre due to long-term development patterns. By restoring Topanga Lagoon in a coordinated and proactive way, we can preserve this haven of unique biological, cultural and recreational resources, while improving existing public infrastructure. The Topanga Lagoon Restoration project provides an opportunity to enhance coastal access, expand recreation opportunities, and develop buffers for projected sea level rise.
Key Restoration Goals
The overarching goals of the restoration of Topanga Lagoon are to expand and restore the lagoon ecosystem; integrate public access, recreation, and visitor serving needs; and proactively address sea level rise, all the while protecting existing biological, cultural and recreational resources. Specific project objectives include:
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Expand and restore the lagoon ecosystem to improve estuarine hydrologic functions, water quality, species and habitat diversity and protections for sensitive species.
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Replace the aging Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) bridge to support lagoon restoration and recovery of endangered steelhead trout and tidewater goby.
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Improve resilience of important structures and habitats to sea level rise and storm surge.
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Enhance local beaches by nearshore placement of native soils, while maintaining the integrity of the surf break.
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Establish a “Gateway Corner” at the NW corner of the intersection of PCH and Topanga Canyon Boulevard to provide coastal access and visitor services for the entire project area.
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Integrate and improve recreational facilities, emergency services, and coastal access for the entire project area, including improvements for pedestrians, cyclists, and visitors with disabilities.
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Minimize harm during construction: protect existing sensitive species, surf break and beach recreation.
Schedule
We have completed the planning phase for the Project. The Draft Environmental Impact Report for the project was released in February of 2024 for a 60-day public review period. The Proposed Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) was released on July 15, 2024 and was available for public review until August 13, 2024. The FEIR was certified and Preferred Hybrid Alternative 3A was approved on September 4, 2024.
The Project has now moved into the design and permitting phase. Design for the Lagoon Restoration, Topanga Beach Visitor Services, and State Parks Visitor Services are all at different stages due to funding and impacts from the 2025 Palisades Fire. As of July 2026 we have reached the following milestones:
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Lagoon Restoration Design: 60%
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Topanga Beach Visitor Services Design : 30%
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CA State Parks Visitor Services Design: Revisioning
In the summer of 2026, CA State Parks launched their post-Palisades Fire recovery planning process, which the public can become involved in via this website. By spring of 2027 both the Lagoon Restoration Design and Topanga Beach Visitor Services Design will be 90% complete. The CA State Parks Recovery Planning should be completed by that time as well. The earliest that construction could take place will be 2029, due to the LA Olympics, with the ultimate schedule based on the availability of funds and construction resources.
Selected Project Alternative & Design
Project Area Visual. Topanga Lagoon Restoration Project visualization of the Project Area post-restoration. Design by Michael Sotona, May 2026.
The FEIR identified Hybrid Alternative 3A as the selected alternative. Please see the FEIR for the full range of alternatives considered. Alternative 3A addresses the challenges and threats to onsite biological and cultural resources while expanding and improving coastal access, recreation, and visitor amenities. Alternative 3A also proactively addresses sea level rise (SLR) and the related threats to coastal infrastructure and ecosystems.
What does Hybrid Alternative 3A propose?
This selected alternative replaces the 79’ long Caltrans Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) bridge with one that is 440’ long, allowing the expansion of the lagoon/creek habitat to increase to 8 acres, providing more refugia for endangered tidewater goby and steelhead trout. This design also creates ~1 acre of additional beach habitat and enhances 30+ acres of native habitat.
Unified trail, parking, and emergency response systems will be improved and developed for the entire project area.
All of CA State Parks facilities within the project area were destroyed by the Palisades Fire in 2025. CA State Parks is currently revisioning the future design of the visitor serving elements to assess if development as outlined in Alternative 3A still makes sense post-fire. Alt 3A had identified development of a new interpretive pavilion, parking, restrooms, bus stop, picnic area, employee house and maintenance facility. You can become involved in the revisioning process and give feedback here.
Los Angeles County will relocate the lifeguard/restroom building and parking facilities further inland and at a higher elevation to protect them from SLR. A new helipad will be developed adjacent to the lifeguard building.
During restoration, earthwork will occur largely outside the edge of the riparian woodland to avoid impacts to wetted habitats. In-water work within Topanga Creek is anticipated to be limited to an ~0.33-acre area associated with removal of the existing PCH bridge.
To restore the lagoon, ~180,000 cubic yards of native fill will be removed during restoration activities and placed at a nearshore site, 0.25 miles off Topanga Beach and will provide beach nourishment downcoast. Construction will take about 5-6 years to complete. North of PCH, within State Parks property, Alternative 3A will restore ~8 wetted acres, and enhance 30+ acres of native habitat. The selected Alternative 3A will avoid significant and unavoidable historic and cultural impacts.
What are some of the design elements being developed?
Lagoon Restoration-New Bridge
The longer bridge is vital for the Lagoon Restoration Design as it allows for a larger healthier lagoon, and improves passage and
Preferred Hybrid Alternative 3A Boundary. The offshore square is where clean native fill would be placed for downcoast nourishment. Image and graphic credits listed on image, Nov 2025.
refuge for endangered fish. Below is a visualization of the proposed expanded bridge (440 feet), allowing the lagoon to expand from 1 acre to ~8 acres. Throughout construction, 4 lanes of traffic [2 in each direction] on PCH will be maintained.
Proposed Bridge Visualization. Schematic visualization of 440' long proposed bridge. Design by Moffat & Nichol, May 2026.
The bridge will be widened on the north side to provide additional parking and a sidewalk. One street light will be installed on each side of the bridge to balance night sky protection and pedestrian safety.
The bridge color will be sand brown to blend better with the surrounding environment and will incorporate a simple wave pattern on columns and wingwalls.
Topanga Beach
The proposed Topanga Beach Visitor Services Design emphasizes protection from and resilience to sea level rise while creating a more accessible beach overall. This is accomplished by relocating the lifeguard tower and restroom northward as well as building a
more accessible helipad to ensure functional emergency services are available.
The beach restoration can be split into three main areas: the Western Beach, Central Beach and Eastern Beach.
On the Western Beach (west of the lagoon) design will include a paved parking lot, an accessible ramp to the beach and maintained access to the adjacent residential area.
Within the Central Beach, design will include more visitor service improvements. This involves improved parking, the installation of a helipad, relocated lifeguard tower and bathrooms, access to the beach via a staircase and accessible ramp [from both the parking lot and Topanga State Park trails north of PCH] and enhanced picnic tables.
On the Eastern Beach, an improved bus stop will be built along with a staircase directly to the beach.
Proactive Sea Level Rise Response. This figure shows expected Sea Level Rise (SLR) impacts on current Topanga Beach buildings(top), and how they will be relocated inland for proactive and longer-term protection from SLR (bottom). Source: Design Workshop and Moffatt and Nichol May 2026.
For a visual representation of these proposed designs, click through the images in the carousel below.
Beach Design Carousel. Western, Central and Eastern Beach visuals by Design Workshop, May 2026.
The Topanga Beach Visitor Services Design is also working on incorporating an interpretive plan and living shoreline element into the greater project.
What Lies Ahead?
The design team is currently aiming to reach the 90% completion stage in spring 2027 for both the Lagoon Restoration Design and the Topanga Beach Visitor Services Design. We anticipate State Parks Visitor Services Design to reinitiate in 2027, and with some additional funding design for all project elements is anticipated to be completed in 2028.
Project Partners, Stakeholders & Funders
The Topanga Lagoon Restoration Project area is managed on behalf of the public by the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), and County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors (Beaches and Harbors). The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains (RCDSMM) is the grant and project manager for the project in coordination with the public landowners.
Funding for the project has been provided by the Wildlife Conservation Board, State Coastal Conservancy, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks and through the efforts of former Assemblymember Richard Bloom. Additional in-kind support has been provided by California State Parks, County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors and CalTrans. Additional project stakeholders include a lengthy list of regulatory agencies, area universities and research institutions, environmental organizations, local stakeholders and the public.
