Workers dredging harbor mouth

June Casagrande

Federal dredging now taking place near the mouth of the harbor will

clear a path for boaters, including in areas that haven’t been

dredged for 70 or 80 years.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ project will cost more than $1

million, funded entirely by the federal government. It will move more

than 44,000 cubic yards of sediment out of the area designated as

federal navigational waterways, removing shoals of sediment buildup

that have become an increasing problem for boaters.

“It was getting to the point that you had to maneuver in the

federal navigational channel over shoals so that you wouldn’t hit

them,” Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said of the area near the

harbor mouth. “If the tide was low and you weren’t paying attention,

you could start to run aground.”

On Thursday, workers began removing about 13,000 cubic yards of

sandy material creating a shoal at the harbor mouth. Another 13,000

cubic yards will be removed in the channel between Balboa Peninsula

and Balboa Island. Another 6,500 cubic yards of sediment will be

removed from the East Balboa Island Channel near the Bahia Corinthian

Yacht Club. And a 10,000-cubic-yard shoal near Collins Island will

also be moved.

When work is complete, these areas will be between 12 and 20 feet

deep. Work is expected to continue through the second week in

October.

Environmental tests on the sediment have shown that most of it is

clean enough to be used as sand for beach replenishment, city Harbor

Resources Director Tom Rossmiller said. That sediment will be put

into the water offshore near 52nd Street in West Newport, where waves

will push it ashore. The sediment near Collins Island is not suitable

for beach sand, so it will be dragged into an underground hole nearby

that was created by a 1998 dredging project.

Since workers began on Thursday near the harbor entrance, the

dredging equipment has been turning heads. Workers are using a crane

on a barge that uses a large dredging bucket to place the sand on a

second barge for transit to the beach.

“Everybody’s in awe of this great machinery,” Peninsula resident

Ralph Bernard said. “It has gigantic jaws that go down and bring up

the soil. It’s very impressive to look at.”

Officials say that much more dredging is needed throughout the

harbor, especially in the Back Bay. That work is estimated to cost

$33 million. About $20 million could come from the federal government

over three years. The remaining $13 million will be paid by the state

of California. That work could begin next year.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.