Army Corps of Engineers on deck with Long Beach Breakwater recommendations

LONG BEACH — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presented the Long Beach community with six possibilities of how the region’s offshore breakwater space could look like, according to an updated shared by City Council member Suzie Price’s office. Two of the options presented called for a breakwater reconfiguration. There has been a push, recently spearheaded by the Surfrider Foundation, to remove the Long Beach Breakwater. Long Beach was once a surfing destination, but surfers disappeared when the construction of the offshore breakwater system permanently kept waves away from the local shore. “I am encouraged to see a range of alternatives that will achieve ecosystem restoration including two that include breakwater reconfiguration. Science will drive the outcome of the study, but we are committed to the protection of property and infrastructure,” Price said in a published statement. The Army Corps, in conjunction with the city of Long Beach, federal agencies and other governmental entities developed a study to analyze possible alternatives for the offshore breakwater. “Draft alternatives include options to add physical structures, such as rocky reefs, wetlands and kelp beds to the bay, as well as to modify the Long Beach Breakwater,” Price said. “Two of the alternatives that we presented include removing...