The future of Upper Newport Bay remains precarious as the human population around the bay is unlikely to decrease. Steps towards improving the bay are positive and should not be discounted, however removing non-native plants and re-planting native species is only a small portion of the battle. The water that continues to flow into Upper Newport Bay from the San Diego and Bonita creeks is extremely contaminated which has led to poor water quality in the bay. Unless contaminants can be removed from the creek water before it enters the bay, the water quality of Upper Newport Bay will not improve, and plants and wildlife will continue to be negatively affected. Furthermore, extreme dredging will have to continue so long as excessive sediment is washed into the bay from those same creeks. Dredging is necessary to preserve the water level of the bay, but it is also damaging to the wildlife and plants in the area. Because of this, I predict that aquatic species in the bay will slowly die off as long as the water remains and potentially becomes more toxic. And species that rely on fish and other aquatic species for food will be negatively impacted if those aquatic species become more toxic and/or die off. I do believe that the substantial and ongoing efforts of the Upper Newport Bay Restoration Program will improve the bay by returning it to a state with more native species and less invasive species.
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