New electric patrol vessel. Photo courtesy of city of Newport Beach.

City Celebrates Opening of New Public Dock and New Electric Patrol Vessel

By Newport Indy Staff – September 15, 2024

Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/city-celebrates-opening-of-new-public-dock-and-new-electric-patrol-vessel/

The City of Newport Beach celebrated two significant milestones in Newport Harbor on Wednesday, August 27: opening a new public dock and welcoming the first electric patrol vessel in the Harbor Department fleet.

The new VITA Seal electric boat is also the first all-electric work vessel delivered to any public agency in the United States.

Newport Beach elected officials and harbor commissioners performed a ceremonial ribbon cutting on the 29th Street Public Pier, at 29th Street and Lafayette Avenue, before christening the new electric vessel.

The 29th Street pier brings the total number of public piers in Newport Harbor to 15, following the dedication of the Balboa Marina Public Pier in March. Use of the pier is free for up to three hours during the day.

The 29thStreet dock, near the terminus of the Rhine Channel, can accommodate up to four 20-ft. boats or two larger vessels. It is part of an ongoing expansion of publicly accessible docks, owned and managed by the City, to provide greater access to boaters.

The new electric boat can be utilized throughout a typical 10-hour shift for the Harbor Department without the need to recharge. With a top speed of 30 knots, the boat will generally carry a crew of two staff members and can accommodate up to eight people. In addition, at Marina Park, the City is developing what will be the first publicly accessible vessel charging station in Southern California.

The 29th Street Pier was designed by Moffatt and Nichol and built by Swift Slip Dock and Pier Builders, with a construction cost of $262,000.

The cost of the electric vessel, $229,000, was funded by the City and partially offset by a Clean Off-Road Equipment (CORE) voucher from the State of California.

By Newport Indy Staff – September 15, 2024

Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/city-celebrates-opening-of-new-public-dock-and-new-electric-patrol-vessel/

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California Coastal Commission – SUMMARY OF STAFF RECOMMENDATION

California Coastal Commission – SUMMARY OF STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Coastal Commission staff‘s reasons for recommending approval of the City of Newport Beach
Item 17a – Application No. 5-21-0640

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The Facts Behind the City’s Dredging Project and In-Harbor Sediment Plan

The California Coastal Commission is preparing to consider permitting plans for an important Newport Harbor dredging project. The City of Newport Beach would like to remind residents about the critical need for this project and clarify key topics, including the rigorous environmental analysis that supports the proposal.

Dredging Newport Harbor is critical to maintain safe navigation and a well-functioning harbor. Over the past several decades, sediment has washed down into Newport Bay and accumulated at the bottom of Newport Harbor, which reduces water depths, impedes navigation and diminishes natural tidal flushing. Periodic dredging of Newport Harbor is essential to maintain safe, navigable waterways for recreational, commercial and public safety vessels; increase necessary ocean water flushing to support good water quality and habit and support the economic vitality of the harbor. In total, the project will dredge and remove about 1.2 million cubic yards of accumulated sediment, therefore returning the waterways to their original depths of -10 to -20 feet. Without dredging, sediment will continue to build up, making navigation more difficult and dangerous and decrease tidal flushing, leading to more stagnant water conditions.

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The City of Newport Beach has been working with the Army Corps of Engineers for several years on a significant dredging project that will bring Newport Harbor to its authorized design depth which will enhance water quality, allow the bay to properly flush thus eliminating the need to dredge again for many years, remove some unsuitable materials that are lying on the floor of the bay today, and provide for the long term navigability of our harbor.

The Newport Beach City Council certified the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in May 2021 and directed staff to proceed with securing permits for the project. The EIR is posted on the City’s website here.

The Newport Harbor Foundation has learned that there are a few in the community that are spreading spurious misinformation about the project and the Newport Harbor Foundation believes that it is important that presenting those interested in the dredging project be provided with the facts.

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