Ballona Wetlands are getting a makeover, but opponents don’t want too much ecological change MORE A stretch of the Ballona Wetlands in Los Angeles in 2010. Photo by Jim McDougall (CC BY 2.0). A restoration project for the long-suffering Ballona Wetlands is moving forward after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife certified the final Environmental Impact Report for the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve last year. Years of neglect, human impact, and development took a toll on the wetlands for years. The project aims to remove invasive plants and leftover fill from the development of Marina Del Rey, re-establish a functioning floodplain, and create natural levees for flood protection against sea level rise.