Residents help halt Santa Ana sand plan

Alicia Robinson

City officials vowed Wednesday to work with the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers to get sediment from the Santa Ana River pumped offshore

instead of spread on the beach in West Newport as the corps had

planned.

The assurance came after residents questioned the need for a

$4.5-million project to dredge 400,000 cubic yards of sediment from

the Santa Ana River and deposit it along the coast in Newport Beach.

More than 100 residents on Wednesday packed City Council chambers,

sitting on the floor and spilling into the lobby at an informational

city meeting to discuss the project.

Most residents opposed the project, complaining that the sediment

won’t be pure sand and could contain trash or pollutants from the

river, which one resident referred to as “Orange County’s toilet.”

They also feared that dumping more sand on the beach would create

safety problems for beach-users by interfering with existing wave

patterns.

“We’re very concerned about such a dramatic amount of sand on the

beach and how it will affect the surf,” said Nancy Gardner, who heads

the Newport Beach chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, a coastal

protection advocacy group.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will head up the largely

federally funded project. A contractor hired by the corps already has

begun dredging and clearing vegetation upstream, with work on the

beach expected to begin after Sept. 8.

No sand-replenishment project has been performed in West Newport

since 1997. Representatives of the city and the corps argued with

residents over whether the beach loses sand over time and how much

wider the project will make the beach. Seashore Drive resident Jim

Brooks said the corps’ own specifications for the project show the

beach will become as much as 200 feet wider in places when the

sediment is added.

Barbara De La Pena, who also lives on Seashore Drive, said

residents weren’t notified adequately about the beach replenishment

while there was still time for the corps to make changes.

“I think the cart was put before the horse, because the contract

was bid before people were notified,” she said.

For now, the work is set to take place between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

weekdays. It will begin after Sept. 8 and must be completed by Dec.

18. Under the plan, the sand will be trucked to the beach and spread

out. The project could be rebid with the offshore sand-dumping

option, but the corps will still be liable to the contractor already

at work, corps project manager Ken Morris said. The offshore option

is estimated to cost about $1.5 million to $2 million more than

spreading the sand on the beach.

“We will advocate for the offshore disposal,” Assistant City

Manager Dave Kiff said. “We’ll do our best to work with the corps to

find the money to do the project that way.”

City Councilman Steve Rosansky also said he thinks the offshore

option is preferable, and he will continue to pursue it with the

corps and Orange County, which also is collaborating on the project.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

[email protected].