Newport Beach City Manager Update: New Marine Trash Skimmer

By Guest Contributor Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager – February 25, 2023

Source: Newport Beach Independent Newport Beach City Manager Update: Trash Skimmer

Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager

Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager

Representatives from the Surfrider Foundation North Orange County Chapter recently presented the City with a generous donation of $12,415 toward the purchase and installation of a new marine trash skimmer for Newport Harbor. The donation will be used to offset the $18,000 cost of a new trash skimmer that will replace an older, broken skimmer located at the Rhine Wharf public dock.

Marine trash skimmers are floating devices attached to docks that operate in a manner similar to pool filters, using a motor to cycle water through a filtration system while trapping trash and debris. The new skimmer will be part of a network of eight skimmers that collect seven to eight tons of trash and debris from Newport Harbor every year. The new model will be more efficient than previous versions, using 80 percent less power and a self-cleaning filter that empties automatically every 30 minutes.

The Newport Harbor trash skimmers are an important part of the City’s ongoing efforts to keep our beaches, harbor and waterways clean.

Source: Newport Beach Independent Newport Beach City Manager Update: Trash Skimmer

2023 was a busy and productive year for the City of Newport Beach, thanks to strong leadership and our extremely professional staff.

We have been working diligently to increase public safety, address quality-of-life issues, and make strategic investments to further improve our great city.

Here’s a look at some of our 2023 successes:

The City of Newport Beach has introduced a new license program offering 16 onshore and offshore City-owned moorings to the public in a variety of sizes. Applications for the initial licenses will be accepted through March 1, 2024.

The new program is designed for vessel owners to lease moorings long-term without having to acquire a permit, sub-permit or mooring equipment.

Monthly fees will be charged based on the size of the mooring, starting at $162 a month for an 18-ft. mooring. There is no cost to apply for one of the 16 new mooring leases.

Siyamak sits down with Seymour Beek, president of Balboa Island Ferry, one of Southern California’s oldest family-owned businesses. Today he will discuss the new rules in California aimed at reducing emissions and how they will impact small businesses.

“CARB made a rule that all short run fairies in California had to be zero emission by 2026. We consume an average of 26 gallons of fuel a day. You’re not gonna save the world by making us go zero emission,” Mr. Beek said. “They haven’t really examined the consequences of the rules they’re making. It’s extremely challenging, extremely expensive.”