NEWPORT BEACH CITY MANAGER UPDATE:
DREDGING PROJECT
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR GRACE LEUNG, NEWPORT BEACH CITY MANAGER – JANUARY 31, 2025
Source: Newport Beach Independent – https://www.newportbeachindy.com/newport-beach-city-manager-update-dredging-project-nbpd-mobile-cafe/
Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
The long-awaited dredging project for lower Newport Harbor will move forward, following recent approval by the Newport Beach City Council and Port of Long Beach to use dredged sediment for a pier fill project at the port.
This arrangement is similar to Newport Beach’s previous projects in 2011 and 2012, when dredged sediment from Newport Harbor that was unsuitable for open ocean disposal was transported to Long Beach for the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project.
A port fill option was not available when the City and Army Corps of Engineers began designing plans for the upcoming phase of dredging in Newport Harbor. The City’s proposed solution, known as confined aquatic disposal, will no longer be required. Now, up to 225,000 cubic yards of dredged material will be transported by barge to the Port of Long Beach, and the remaining material will be placed in a federally approved open ocean site.
This dredging project, which removes accumulated sediment from the harbor floor, is critical to maintain the navigational safety and the environmental health of Newport Harbor.
The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to begin dredging within the next few months.
Source: Newport Beach Independent – https://www.newportbeachindy.com/newport-beach-city-manager-update-dredging-project-nbpd-mobile-cafe/
If you have started to hear Christmas music and noticed holiday TV ads, then you know it’s time for my annual recognition of our harbor’s sailing awards.
I’ll start with the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club’s (BCYC) awards night and the juniors. Sailing director Carolyn Smith stepped up to the podium for her first time presenting awards at BCYC, and she nailed it. One can always tell if the event is someone’s first rodeo, however, Smith’s a pro and she made the night fun and memorable with clear descriptions of the awards she was presenting. The Juniors awards always brings back good times, or even more so by diluting the agony of defeat.
Nine years ago, when the 106th Annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade was held, a few of us thought something was missing.
Not that there was anything wrong with the parade, which was going to feature its usual holiday splendor. But a few people felt it needed a little extra touch that many other parades around the country usually feature.
It was a Grand Marshal.
It almost seems impossible that a parade of this caliber can be held for more than a century without a Grand Marshal. Even much smaller parades in Orange County have them, with some even having multiples for the same parade (Say you Garden Grove Strawberry Festival).
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort has announced their Inaugural Fire & Ice Festival, featuring one of Orange County’s largest waterfront ice rinks, spanning 4,000 square feet. The festival kicks off a season of holiday fun at Newport Dunes with an opening night celebration on November 24, alongside the 33rd Annual Lighting of the Bay, and runs daily through January 1, 2024.
“This year, we celebrate the return of our beloved Lighting of the Bay with a magical holiday experience like never before,” said Phil Ravenna, general manager of Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. “We are excited to bring a waterfront ice rink to Newport Beach. Skaters can enjoy the lights of the bay as well as our Fire & Ice Festival. We welcome the community to usher in the holidays with loved ones and create new holiday memories in our idyllic bayfront setting in the heart of Newport Beach.”
The fires in Maui and Hurricane Idalia in Florida serve as recent reminders that disasters can strike at any time. Throughout September, which has been designated as National Preparedness Month, the City of Newport Beach will highlight some of our emergency preparedness tools and practices, along with educational resources for residents to become better prepared.
If you are new to emergency planning, or could use a refresher, a great place to start is the “Newport Beach Ready” Emergency Preparedness Guide produced by our Fire Department. The guide contains critical information on water and food storage, building an emergency kit, evacuation checklists, basic first aid, animal preparedness, and tips on what to do in specific events.
Newport Beach City Council members, joined by state and county elected representatives, held a ceremonial groundbreaking event on Friday, Sept. 15 to kick off construction of the Newport Bay Trash Interceptor, a sustainably powered system to collect floating trash before it enters the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, Newport Harbor and beaches.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!