CARMEL >> A major stream restoration project that aims to return the Carmel River’s natural flow is underway on what was once twin 18-hole golf courses straddling about a mile of the waterway.

“This is phase one of a three-phase project designed to rewild the lower Carmel River, reconnect its historic floodplain, and create a more resilient landscape for wildlife and the community,” said Jake Smith, Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District planning and conservation program manager. “Phase one officially broke ground on June 3 and runs from June 2025 to June 2026 and focuses on the western — downstream — half of the park.”

Smith added that the project is on schedule with earthwork this summer and the Park District is looking forward to moving into final floodplain contouring and planting over 30 different species of native plants this fall.

The Park District acquired the 185-acre Rancho Cañada Golf Course property from the Trust for Public Land in April 2018, adding it as a unit of Palo Corona Regional Park and opening it for public use. The 36-hole former golf course was once the second-largest water user on the Carmel River.

Nearly a year ago, federal, state and local partners gathered at the Rancho Cañada Unit to mark the milestone of successfully funding the floodplain restoration project.

The $35 million project to reconnect the river to its historic floodplain habitat received funding from several federal and state sources including $10 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund, $6 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management, $13 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board and $6 million from the California State Coastal Conservancy.

The project is the first major restoration effort at the park and entails removing about 3,200 linear feet of riprap to restore natural geomorphic processes such as scour, deposition and meander migration of the river. More than 650,000 cubic yards of sediment will be excavated, which will lower the existing disconnected floodplains so that annual inundation can recur.

Backwater channels and alcoves will be created within the new floodplain surfaces to create areas that will inundate at winter base flows, recreating critical areas of quiet water that will be available to aquatic species. In-channel gravel will be added to raise the water surface elevation upstream, helping push water into new floodplains. Three former golf cart bridges will be retired, eliminating a safety hazard and providing additional space for the river to migrate. One new pedestrian bridge will be constructed, which will be rated for emergency vehicle access to support safe public access to 4,500 acres of the park and the future segment of the California Coastal Trail extending into Big Sur.

The current restoration effort has employed a temporary earthen stream crossing that allows equipment to safely access both sides of the river and to safely recontour the restored floodplain, said Smith, adding that it is standard practice for major stream restoration projects like this. The crossing is implemented to help remove outdated infrastructure such as old pavement, bridges and riprap that has constrained the river’s natural movement and flow for decades.

“As part of the restoration project, we will be installing a new pedestrian and emergency access bridge during phase two,” said Smith. “The new bridge is designed to accommodate natural stream flows beneath it while maintaining safe access for park users and emergency vehicles.”

He said the temporary crossing will be fully removed by Oct. 31, ahead of winter rains and in compliance with all environmental permits.

By the end of October, the park district expects to have all major phase one work completed such as grading and floodplain recontouring, including lowering the surrounding floodplain, excavating new side channels, and installing large wood structures to improve in-stream habitat for steelhead trout.

“Starting in early fall, we’ll shift to stabilizing the newly contoured areas and begin planting native species to stabilize the site before the winter rains,” said Smith.

Though the final phase one plant total is still being tallied, Smith said across all phases of the project, the park district will be planting more than 175,000 native plants, including nearly 10,000 trees, reflecting a major boost in the health and diversity of habitat on the river.

As major grading is expected to stop by Oct. 31, some minor phase one work will continue into late fall this year, the park district will then pause work during the winter to allow the site to stabilize and give young plants time to establish.

“Phase two begins in June 2026, focusing on the eastern — upstream — half of the park and following a similar sequence of grading and restoration,” said Smith. “A smaller phase three in mid-2027 will focus on minor site adjustments and project closeout.”