Newport Beach City Manager Update: Heal the Bay Report Card
By Guest Contributor Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager – June 18, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent Newport Beach City Manager Update: Heal the Bay Report Card
Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Newport Beach scored high marks during the summer season in the 33rd Annual Heal the Bay Beach Report Card, released Wednesday, June 14.
Of the 36 Newport Beach bay and ocean testing sites listed in the report, 32 earned an A or A+ during the summer season, when the beaches are most frequented. Four sites earned a B grade. Heal the Bay’s annual report measures bacterial pollution for more than 700 West Coast beaches, from Washington to Baja, ranking them and grading their water quality from A to F.
Newport Beach’s grades were consistent with other California beaches, 94% of which received an A or B grade during the summer season.
Earning consistently high marks for water quality is more difficult during the wet weather, when rainfall washes bacteria and other toxins into oceans and bays. During the wet weather, five Newport Beach ocean-facing beaches received an F, while two earned B grades. Encouragingly, all Newport Harbor locations were graded A+, A or B during wet weather. Fewer beaches received winter dry grades because most of the winter data was collected during wet weather.
Source: Newport Beach Independent Newport Beach City Manager Update: Balboa Peninsula Safety, Heal the Bay Report Card
“Since I assumed my role as Harbormaster, the City has taken decisive action to remove numerous abandoned or voluntarily surrendered vessels from Newport Harbor. These removals are vital for safety, navigation, and environmental protection. However, the process to secure legal authority for the removal and destruction of a privately owned vessel is necessarily lengthy and complex. To protect the City’s interests, we strictly adhere to all established legal procedures. In one recent example, the process required over two years, the formal arrest of a vessel, the engagement of outside maritime legal counsel, and two Federal Court actions.” – Harbormaster Paul Blank
A heartfelt letter of thanks from Harbormaster Paul Blank. We proudly share this with our supporters and audience.
Newport Beach International Boat Show is proud to announce that it has been named the #1 Boat Show in the United States by USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2025. Full official announcement from USA Today 10 BEST was released on May 7th, 2025.
If you’re wondering how the innovative Newport Bay Trash Interceptor operates, this video is for you! See how the device collects trash and debris from the San Diego Creek before it can pollute the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, harbor and beaches.
The primary audience for the video is people renting small and manually powered vessels on the harbor, although it has information valuable to anyone operating a vessel on the harbor.
Share this entry