Results of monitoring and additional studies showed that the 175 acre Wheeler North Reef was too small to consistently meet the performance standards pertaining to fish standing stock and area of adult giant kelp. Consequently, the CCC required SCE to remediate this deficiency by expanding the Wheeler North Reef to include up to 210 additional acres of low relief reef.
Expanding the size of the Wheeler North Reef consisted of placing 175,000 tons of quarried rock in a single layer in 22 new polygons totaling 198 acres located north and inshore of the previously constructed artificial reef. Construction occurred during two successive summers and was completed in July 2020. The expansion increased the total area of Wheeler North Reef to ~ 373 acres, which is believed to be the largest artificial reef of its kind.
