Newport Harbor Prepares for $7.2 Million Dredging

Byline: Taylor Hill NEWPORT BEACH — Newport Harbor’s Lower Bay requires about $25 million worth of dredging to get back to its original design depths. So far, the Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Newport Beach are ready to spend approximately $7.2 million to get the project started — launching the largest dredging plan since the harbor’s inception. “This is a very big deal for all of us,” said Newport Beach City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle. “It’s as important as any infrastructure project we could ask our governmental entities to undertake, for a long-term benefit to this city and this region.” The project would remove approximately 1 million cubic yards of sediment, with the main goals to clear the harbor of navigation hazards within the main channels and remove contaminated sediment that is polluting the harbor. While it has taken years to prepare for the project — with environmental studies, eelgrass surveys, sediment testing and more — Harbor Resources manager Chris Miller stressed the importance of getting the project started as soon as possible. Two windows of opportunity allowed for the project to happen, and if the city, county and federal officials cannot get the project up and running, one of those windows could...