Anchorage eelgrass-restoration plan could cost up to $8 million

Aerial shots of the Richardson Bay anchorage commissioned in 2018 by Audubon California show the swirling damage to the eelgrass beds below the anchor-outs caused by ground tackle. Eelgrass provides stabilization for the sea floor and food and spawning areas for marine life. (Patrick and Julie Belanger, The 111th Group Inc.)

Local and state taxpayers could be on the hook for up to $8 million over a 10-year period to replant eelgrass damaged by derelict vessels anchored off Belvedere on Richardson Bay, according to the agency tasked with maintaining the waters.

The estimated figure is part of the Richardson Bay Regional Agency’s draft Transition Plan 2.0, a more detailed version of its 2020 plan for moving the bay away from being a home for permanent liveaboards and toward a 72-hour anchorage for visiting mariners.

It comes as the agency is planning other big spending increases as it seeks to hold up its end of a settlement agreement with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Agency.

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