Dredging likely to wipe away Orange County ‘dog beach,’ at least for a while

A planned dredging project is expected to remove the sandbar that has become an unofficial dog beach at the mouth of the Santa Ana River near Newport Beach

However, Orange County officials said, the sand won’t be gone forever.

The project is intended to clear sand from the riverbed in an effort to prevent flooding during storms, said Nardy Khan, interim deputy director for the county public works department. Dredging the area also should improve tidal flow, enabling the river to move water into the ocean, officials said.

County staff presented the project to the Newport Beach City Council during a June session, at which they acknowledged the dredging probably would remove, at least temporarily, the sandbar that long has been a popular spot for people to let their dogs run off leash.

Past dredging projects indicate that tidal action will bring sand back to the mouth of the river, restoring the beach, but officials said it was unclear how long that might take. Khan estimated it could be weeks or months.

“It really depends on the tides and how fast the sand moves,” she said.

Dredging could begin by late summer and last into May, county officials estimated. The project must be approved by the California Coastal Commission.

The Santa Ana River area has received significant attention in the last several months from county and Newport Beach officials, as well as nearby homeowners and those who frequent the area with their dogs.

The issue of leash laws came to the forefront late last year after Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon said she was fielding complaints from homeowners about unleashed dogs and dog waste.

In response, the city conducted an online survey to determine whether Newport residents would favor the city enforcing county leash laws at that beach. Hundreds of people responded, with the majority asking the city to leave the area alone.

In March, after two hours of passionate testimony from dog owners, Newport’s Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission voted unanimously to reject a proposal to have city animal-control officers enforce leash restrictions there.

The commission instead suggested the county look into designating the area as an official dog beach. Dixon, city staff, dog beach advocates and county Supervisor Michelle Steel, whose district includes Newport Beach, began working on a proposal.

An ordinance to designate the area as the first legal dog beach on county land passed the Board of Supervisors’ first reading but stalled in May over concerns from two environmental groups that having unleashed canines in the area could harm two at-risk bird species.

County staff estimated that the issue would return to the Board of Supervisors on July 26.

Mike Glenn, a Newport Beach City Council candidate and dog beach advocate, said the dredging project was important to maintain the flow of the Santa Ana River and that he did not expect it to have a lasting effect on the viability of a dog beach in the area.

“For a little bit, dogs aren’t going to have a beach, but when the sand comes back, dog beach will just be a little smaller,” he said.

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Fry writes for Times Community News

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