Laguna Canyon - Future

Future

The canyon is one of the last remaining wild areas in Orange County in a strip of preserves along the San Joaquin Hills about 20 miles (32 km) long and 8 miles (13 km) wide. Recently, State Route 133 has been expanded to four lanes from the original two lanes; the original road is now a one-way southbound. The newly constructed road is mostly parallel to the original road but is closer to Laguna Canyon Creek. Recent construction work at the head of Laguna Canyon near the city of Irvine has leveled some hills on the east side of the canyon, but construction has presently stopped. There are plans to turn the northernmost extreme of the Canyon into a residential development consisting of 590 houses, called Laguna Crossing. It was originally planned to open in 2008 but this date has been moved to 2013. There also has been work on culverts in the northern part of the canyon.

The entirety of the mainstem of Laguna Canyon has been impacted by development, mostly from construction of the state highway but also from buildings in the canyon in the last 3 miles (4.8 km). Most of the remaining wild lands are now found in the side canyons. These modifications have also resulted in bacterial pollution downstream at Main Beach, Laguna Beach. There now are several organizations working on preserving what remains of the canyon; Laguna Canyon Foundation is the most prominent one.