the eastern part of that city. Concerns about the destruction of the Quino checkerspot butterfly were raised by the community group Preserve South Bay. That group sued the developer as well as Caltrans and SANDAG in August 1999, following the latter's approval for the project. Early the next year, an environmental impact report suggested that Bonita might face negative effects from the freeway, such as noise and having the roadway divide the community. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) allowed the project that year, even though the Environmental Protection Agency objected to it. A contractor for the project was soon retained by California Transportation Ventures. Another group, Citizens for 125, obtained 7,000 signatures in support of the road. However, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board withheld its permit approval in December 2000 over concerns that the Sweetwater Reservoir could be polluted in the process. Such an approval was necessary under the Clean Water Act in order to get the necessary approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The suit by Preserve South Bay was dismissed in March 2001, on the grounds that the legislature did not need to review the annexation of state parkland for the highway because it was done under eminent domain. In April, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board approved the project on several conditions, including monitoring the water quality to ensure that the Sweetwater Reservoir would remain a clean water source for local residents. An appeal to the state Water Resources Control Board to overturn the approval was unsuccessful. In July, the USACE approved the wetlands permit for the southern portion of SR 125. The Sierra Club and the San Diego National Audubon Society, as well as some other groups, sued the FHWA, USACE, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to block the construction of the toll road over alleged breaches of the Endangered Species Act in October 2001; however, a San Diego judge sided with the contractor and the federal government in March 2003. The developer resolved the environmental concerns for $3.07 million and an agreement to work outside breeding times for the endangered species involved in May of that year. In return, the environmental groups agreed not to appeal the court decision. Some community groups also opposed the project. Construction of the SR 125 toll road started in September 2003; it was projected to open in 2006. Over the