the pacheco marsh is located near martinez. that's north of the benicia bridge abc 7 news reporter laura anthony was there when the levy was deliberately breached for the first time in nearly a century. it'sit'sit'sit'sit'sit's the making to reopen a key east bay marsh that's been dormant for nearly 100 years the pacheco marsh near martinez. it's a huge day for us. within a matter of minutes a pair of giant excavators cleared away tons of dirt and breached the levy allowing tens of thousands of gallons of bay water to rush in and we've lost about 80 to 85 percent of our marshlands surrounding the bay. and so this is an opportunity for us to really bring that type of habitat back. the breach allows the saltwater of sassoon bay to flow back into the 232 acre pacheco marsh a giant step and restoring not just the marsh but the lower walnut creek watershed. it's part of a larger effort to restore the san francisco bay shoreline. the environmental benefit is we're creating habitat specifically for assault marsh harvest mouse, and we

the pacheco marsh is located near martinez.me in nearly a season. -- in nearly a century. who wants to see a levy -- >> who wants to see a levy breached? [applause] yay! laura: it is a project to reopen a key marsh that has been dormant for 100 years. the pacheco marsh near martinez. >> it is a huge day for us. laura: within a matter of minutes, a pair of excavators cleared away tons of dirt and breached the levee, allowing bay water to rush in. >> we have lost about 85% to 80% of our marshlands surrounding the bay, and so this is really an opportunity to bring that type of habitat back. laura: the breach allows the salt water to flow back into the 232-acre pacheco marsh, a giant step in restoring not only the marsh but the lower walnut creek watershed. it is all part of a larger effort to restore the san francisco bay shoreline. >> the environmental benefit is that we are creating habitats, specifically for the marsh harvest mouse, and we also have rare birds, like black rails, that are also around the edge of our site. laura:

the pacheco marsh near martinez. >> it is a huge day for us.vators cleared away tons of dirt and breached the levee, allowing bay water to rush in. >> we have lost about 85% to 80% of our marshlands surrounding the bay, and so this is really an opportunity to bring that type of habitat back. laura: it allows the salt water to flow back into the 232-acre pacheco marsh, a giant step in restoring not only the marsh but the lower walnut creek watershed . it is all part of a larger effort to restore the san francisco bay shoreline. >> the environmental benefit iin that we are creating habitats , and we also have rare birds, like black rails, that are also. around the edge of our site. laura: it is also designed to be resilient to the sea level rise expected with climate change. now that there is water back for the first time in a century, the expectation is that birds and other species will follow. at some point, this will also be a recreation area for people. >> you can enjoy the shoreline , which is otherwise inaccessible for miles another directi

it is part of the restoration of the pacheco marsh and the lower walnut creek watershed . jocelyn moran takes us there. >> reporter: this is a $25 million project that has been 20 years in the making. this is a cool site. behind me the water is flowing and the water levels are rising significantly and quickly. they are calling this a milestone. take a look at this video. that is when the dirt was first removed and the water was let in. the john moore land trust and contra costa water conservation district worked on this and they say the area had been an industrial site and what they have done is prepare the land by doing construction, dirt removal, digging up channels and now they're letting the water back in. they were store this so it can be habitat for wildlife including endangered species. >> we will finally be able to turn all of the channels and everything we built on site and connected to the bay. the tides can come in twice a day and areas that have previously separated from the bay with poor quality habitat, we are creating great habitat that can thrive for genera

today, this levy in martinez was breached to allow water from the sisson bay to flow back into the pacheco marsh. it's a big step towards restoring the marshland, and the lower walnut creek watershed. the restoration is a $25 million project 20 years in the making. the county prepared the land by doing construction mature removal, and then digging up channels, and now they are letting the water back in. the hope is that the marsh can be a habitat for wildlife, including endangered species. >>> now to the coronavirus. the fda has cleared the first coronavirus vaccine for kids as young as 5. it's an announcement that millions of families have been waiting for, and just in time for the holidays. about 28 million children will be eligible to receive one third of the adult dose, with two injections. days ago, the santa clara county health department said that they have been preparing for weeks to welcome kids at county vaccine sites, and already ordered tens of thousands of pediatric doses. >>> the world cup could return to the bay area. fifa officials are in the bay area right now , and they are set

they did it to help restore the pacheco marsh, and the lower walnut creek watershed.ject. the area had previously been an industrial site. once crews remove the dirt and dig up the channels, they let that waterflow back in this afternoon. the project manager says that the area has been restored, it can serve as a habitat for wildlife and endangered species. >> now we are finally able to turn all of the channels and everything we built on site, we are able to connect that right to the bay, and the tide can come in twice per day, and areas that have been previously cut off from the bay that were really poor quality habitat, we are creating great habitat that now can thrive for generations to come. >> managers hope to build an education center in the next few years of people can learn about the habitat and the base ecosystems. let the water flow. >> we can hope it flows from the sky. >>> we have a chance on saturday. no need to cancel anything. be flexible just in case. this will be a pretty weak system moving into northern california. the bulk of the energy will stay to

all of the landscaping they see all around us. 24 a half million dollars 232 acre restoration of pacheco marsh and lower walnut creek will allow bay waters to once again occupy its spaces, as they did for countless years before america was a nation and california was california. we are. really at the at the finish line for when we were finally being able to turn this area that has been psyched and drained and filled. now that we're restoring it to vibrant title marshlands. it's a multi benefit projects, so it's got wildlife benefits, flood protection and also restoration. and on the ecological said we actually called this site that the doughnut hole because there is great habitat all around it here at least 10, endangered species of plants and animals can thrive and the project makes a small but important stand to mitigate some effects of climate change. so as sea levels rise, the marshes will spread onto these upland areas. so there'll be a sustainable they can also travel up walnut creek, with the projects 2.6 miles of trails and roads, five ponds and five miles of title channels. this compl

pacheco marched in martinez. this levee breaches part of the john muir land trust and contra costa county flood control and water conservation districts. $24 million marshit is a huge step in the restoration of the 232 acre marsh and the lower walnut creek watershed. the area will also include 2.5 miles of hiking trails. we are really at the at the finish line for when we were finally being able to turn this area that has been dichter and drained and filled now that we're restoring it to vibrant title marshlands. what we're doing now, today is what we're moving this plug of soil behind us that takes these title channels that we built and really connects them to san francisco bay. the project took seven months to complete included dozens of biological surveys and hundreds of hours of biological monitoring. all right. well, the weekend is upon us. let's check in with rosemary. get that all important. saturday and sunday forecast little rain. maybe yet just a little bit little. we'll call for unsettled weather, meaning just a few sprinkles maybe a hit or miss shower out there for the weekend and then the widespread rain arrives on monday. happy friday. to