Hello friends of the Newport Harbor Foundation,
There is an urgent issue we need a little help with… something that impacts one of our favorite local playgrounds – the Newport Harbor.
After years of lobbying the federal government for help, the City of Newport Beach has obtained grants of almost $16 million to pay for dredging of the harbor which will significantly enhance the quality of water and create safer boat passage in the harbor. Along with the dredging process, there is a process called CAD (contained aquatic disposal) which places unsuitable material now existing in the harbor into a safe and secure location deep below the harbor bed. This process is totally safe and has been used for many years all over the country, including harbors in California.
The project for Newport Harbor has been studied, vetted, and approved by Fish and Wildlife, EPA, Army Corp of Engineers, and the City of Newport Beach. The final permit needed is from the California State Water Board and once obtained, the California Coastal Commission staff will recommend its approval of the project at the next commission meeting in October. Without these final approvals, the City of Newport Beach risks losing the federal grants and the project will be delayed indefinitely.
The Water Board is where our issue is and your help is needed. Recently, a small group of individuals have opposed the CAD portion of the project and have raised concern with the Water Board with some untruths and opinions. These misstatements are being addressed over the next month in several ways. I will follow up with links where you can see these updates. In the meantime, what I ask is for a brief email to the California Water Board stating that you support the dredging and CAD project at this address:
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To: Maher Zaher
Subject Line: I support the CAD & Dredging Project in Newport Beach
Body: I support the CAD & Dredging Project in Newport Beach.
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IMPORTANT: This must be submitted no later than this Friday, September 16, 2022
IMPORTANT: This must be submitted no later than this Friday, September 16, 2022
Please address your comments to:
Maher Zaher
Subject Line: I support the CAD & Dredging Project in Newport Beach
Body: I support the CAD & Dredging Project in Newport Beach.
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.
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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