Newport Beach receives eelgrass permit

NEWPORT BEACH — The city of Newport Beach ended 2015 with a welcomed present from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The federal agency officially granted Newport Beach a permit to allow the city to balance harbor dredging with eelgrass management requirements. It is rare for a municipality to maintain primary oversight over eelgrass management. Newport Beach also received a Coastal Development Permit from the California Coastal Commission to conduct small-scale maintenance dredging and eelgrass mitigation in June 2015. The commission granted Newport Beach autonomy over its eelgrass management for a six-year period. City officials said the Corps of Engineers issued the permit in late December 2015. Regional General Permit 54, or RGP-54, will give Newport Beach authority to conduct small-scale maintenance dredging under and adjacent to commercial, private and public docks, floats and piers within the city’s harbor. “The permit also allows the use of suitable dredge material to replenish certain bayfront beach areas. Most importantly the new permit allows regulated impacts of eelgrass – a critical and protected component of the marine habitat,” city staff stated. City officials said RGP-54 helps make the dredging process in Newport Harbor more efficient and streamlined. Before the permit was revised, homeowners who wanted to dredge under their...