Dredging Project Earns NB an Innovation Award

Byline: Ambrosia Brody NEWPORT  BEACH — The extensive dredging project that removed more than 600,000 cubic yards of sediment from Newport Bay, helping bring the harbor back to its original design depths, has earned the city a 2013 Golden Hub of Innovation Award and an honorable mention from the Association of California Cities Orange County (ACCOC). The city received an award for the Lower Newport Bay Dredging Project at a June 27 ceremony. It was the largest, most comprehensive dredging project undertaken since the small-craft harbor was created in the 1930s, according to the city. The $10 million dredging project — a joint effort with the city, the Army Corps of Engineers and Orange County — resulted in a more navigable waterway, eliminating major shoals that had created hazards for years. “The recently completed bay dredging project was done at a savings of more than $10 million through our partnership with the Port of Long Beach,” Mayor Keith Curry said in a statement. City staff members initiated and completed sediment studies, sampling and analysis to determine appropriate disposal locations for the sediment — required to meet the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State Water Resources Control Board, the California Coastal Commission and...