Malibu Lagoon is a shallow water, bar-built estuary occurring at the end of the Malibu Creek Watershed. It receives year-round freshwater from upstream sources and periodically the sandbar that separates the lagoon from the ocean breaches due to storm or tide. Malibu Creek and Lagoon empties into the Pacific Ocean at world renowned surfing and recreational destination, Malibu Surfrider Beach, which receives approximately 1.5 million visitors every year.
Malibu Lagoon was long labelled an impaired water body by the U.S. Environmental Protection because of low dissolved oxygen levels and sediment build up that threatened fish and wildlife. From 2012 to 2013, a restoration team removed contaminated soil and decades of built-up trash and re-contoured the channels to improve water flows and circulation. Thousands of California native, drought-tolerant plants were placed along the newly restored banks and plains.
Since 2013, hundreds of volunteers have helped manage and maintain it through routine weeding and occasional planting. Your support continues the good work.