# California turned sewage marshes into 307-acre bird sanctuary 2026-08-09T17:47:29+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet More than 300 bird species have been recorded at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in northern California, a 307-acre wetland that was built in 1986 to treat the city's sewage using natural processes. The system replaced a costly regional treatment plant that would have required underwater pipelines, and instead created freshwater marshes, salt marshes, and tidal sloughs on a former lumber mill site and landfill. Constructed wetlands now treat about 50 lakh litres of sewage daily through a series of oxidation ponds and marshes planted with native bulrush. The project also provides habitat along the Pacific Flyway and has turned a heavily disturbed waterfront into a thriving ecosystem, showing how wastewater can be managed as a resource. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Arcata, bird sanctuary, California, Pacific Flyway, wastewater treatment, wetlands Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/us-city-turns-sewage-marshes-into-bird-sanctuary-300-species-thrive/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/us-city-turns-sewage-marshes-into-bird-sanctuary-300-species-thrive/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.