2022 Most Innovative Program

The City’s Harbor Department Code Enforcement Division was recognized as the “2022 Most Innovative Program” at the recent California Association of Code Enforcement Officers annual conference.

The Code Enforcement team was recognized for:

  • Encouraging boaters to follow safe boating practices and harbor rules and regulations.
  • Collaborating efficiently with Harbor Department colleagues who patrol the Harbor and identify, document and address unsafe boaters and violations of local, state and federal laws.
  • Use of technology and equipment unique to the harbor environment, including water-resistant computers and cameras, noise meters and specialized safety equipment.
  • Development of department and division policies, procedures and training programs to support the City’s municipal code regulations that apply to the harbor.
  • Development of outreach programs and materials for the public and community stakeholders.
  • Removing more than 75 abandoned or inoperable vehicles from the harbor with state grant funding.

Code Enforcement staff patrols Newport Harbor daily to prevent or correct violations, which can include dilapidated, inoperable or abandoned vessels; lack of compliance with the terms and conditions of permits issued to various harbor users; public nuisances such as noise, water quality and trash; commercial charters and boat rental businesses operating without permits or licenses; boating safety violations; or sea lions damaging vessels and docks.

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ABC Water Wheel

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By Phillip Palmer
ABC Eyewitness News, Los Angeles

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — Keeping garbage out of the ocean isn’t easy. So enter Mr. Trash Wheel, the 70-square-foot barge gobbling up garbage by the ton to keep the beach and ocean pristine.

Trash in the streets ends up in the river and then from the river, the ocean.

Hoping to reduce the amount of trash making it to the ocean, Newport Beach is set to become the first west coast city to use a water wheel system to scoop up trash headed toward Upper Newport Bay.

“We really need to knock that trash load down. This is not going to be a silver bullet, it’s not going to get everything, but it’s going to get a big slug of stuff,” said John Kappeler, a senior engineer for the city of Newport Beach.

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On the Waterfront

By Matt Morrison

For a generation of youngsters who grew up around the Newport Harbor, there’s a legacy to perpetuate. OK, maybe they’re only considered youngsters on a geologic scale, yet together they’ve accumulated decades of passion for the fabulous waterway central to our community. The goal now is to preserve it for generations to come.

We might compare it to fixing up a stately landmark home; the curb appeal is still magnificent but the bones need attention. Dennis Durgan can certainly relate to the analogy.

A residential real estate professional in the community for more than four decades, Durgan grew up on the harbor, beginning in the early 1960’s when it was a seasonal recreation destination. He learned to sail here, then went on to crew in three America’s Cup competitions working with both Ted Turner and Dennis Connor. Now it’s a cause for the future, and not just his own.

“There are numerous issues the harbor has, and will continue to have, as we move forward. There’s more and more people that want to use it,” Durgan explains. “I used to call it the sandbox. Well, the sandbox is overflowing with kids that want to play.”

“With all of their toys…” chimes in Val Lyon, like Durgan, a board member of the Newport Harbor Foundation, established in 2019.

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