Newport Harbor Concessions Safety Video
Harbormaster Paul Blank
The Newport Beach Harbor Department is excited to present this three-minute safety video about Newport Harbor.
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.
The central messages in the video include:
- Requirements for Personal Floatation Devices
- Knowing the terrain of the harbor and the safest ways to enjoy it
- Locations of public restrooms and how to find them
- Remain aware of changing conditions including wind and currents
In the coming months, the Harbor Department hopes to produce additional videos focused on basic safety for all harbor users, the locations of public restrooms, and efforts to improve water quality and wildlife in the harbor.
Thank you, Harbormaster Paul Blank
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) has halted the dredging of Lower Newport Bay and construction authorization for the City of Newport Beach’s (the city’s) Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) facility. The Corps put things on hold after Orange County Coastkeeper (Coastkeeper) filed a lawsuit challenging their failure to fully analyze actions possibly violating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA).
So, is that a good thing or a bad thing?
On May 23, the City Council approved a pilot program to change the harbor mooring fields configuration and approved changes to the Harbor Code to accommodate the proposed pilot program and the long-term plan for all the moorings in the harbor.
Speak Up Newport is hosting a meeting on Wednesday, June 14 to discuss the mooring plan with guest speaker Bill Kenney, the former Harbor Commission Chair. He will describe the Harbor Commission’s Open Water Initiative and the reasons for the changes to the mooring fields.
The valves, which were built in the 1970s to replace a system from the early 1900s, are necessary to prevent flooding in low-lying areas. They are manually operated, and need to be closed during high tides to prevent seawater from flooding the streets. Once the tide recedes, crews reopen the valves — nearly 90 in total — to allow water to flow from streets to the bay.
City Council this week unanimously approved a pilot project, called the open water initiative, related to mooring field design.
Councilmembers voted 7-0 on Tuesday (May 23) in support of the ordinance that would amend Title 17 (the city’s harbor code) related to mooring standards and permits. The approved action, stemming from Harbor Commission recommendations, will reconfigure mooring field C, which sits between Bay Island and the Balboa Peninsula ferry station.
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