A giant skip loader drops a load of rocks into the waters off San Clemente as part of a reef construction project by Southern California Edison. The reef is a long-planned mitigation measure to protect marine life affected by the San Onofre nuclear plant. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
David Kay, manager of environmental projects for the utility, pulls a string on giant kelp from the water. The artificial reef is designed to sprout a swaying kelp forest that will attract marine life. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Kay casts a lure into the experimental kelp forest. Southern California Edison is bankrolling the $40-million project under an agreement with the California Coastal Commission. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
A kelp leaf shimmers in the morning sun. The artificial reef is bring constructed with 100,000 tons of volcanic rock and is considered one of the largest projects of its kind in the world. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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A sea lion off San Clemente. The nearby nuclear plant has adversely affected marine life in the area, something the reef is expected to address. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
A colony of pelicans flocks on a barge filled with rocks destined for the artificial reef project off San Clemente. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
As a barge works in the backround, the tops of an experimental kelp forest float in the waters off San Clemente. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
