Disposal site for dredged material good for harbor

Ahoy.

An important underwater designation recently occurred without any fanfare, but it is good news for Newport Harbor. A disposal site called LA-3 was designated as a permanent site for dredged materials by the Environmental Protection Agency under 40 CFR Part 228 in the Federal Register.

Why is this good news? If there was not a nearby offshore disposal site for dredged materials, the cost of dredging would skyrocket. Potentially that could add millions to the upper Newport Bay dredging project if the dredging company had to truck out the materials or if the tug towing the barge had to travel to a distant site. The regulations state that dredged material will not be allowed to be disposed of in the ocean unless the material meets strict environmental criteria established by the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“What it means to the boaters is that Orange County now has a permanent place to dispose of clean sediment that is dredged from our three harbors. LA-3 was temporarily designated for about three decades but lost that temporary designation on Dec. 31, 2002,” Tom Rossmiller, harbor resources manager for the city of Newport Beach, said in an e-mail.

Continued Rossmiller: “The boaters will see the first activity at LA-3 about January 2006 with barges from an Upper Newport Bay dredging project transiting the bay to the disposal site during a 400-working-day contract. The Upper Bay project will provide for ecosystem restoration and clean out and deepening of sedimentation basins. This is important to the boater, because it means that sediment from storm events will be caught in the Upper Bay basins instead of significantly impacting navigation channels in the remainder of the bay.”

The sedimentation basins are an attempt to decrease the amount of fill material that is washed down from inland areas to the harbor. The net effect of the basins will decrease the need for dredging in the lower harbor.

This is good news to boaters, waterfront properties and the ecosystem. After the next rain storm, take a look as you drive across the Back Bay on East Coast Highway at the color of the fast-flowing water heading for the ocean. The color will be a distinct brown that I have seen extend a few miles out into the ocean. The brown colorization is caused by the dirt that is suspended in the water. All along the course, the material is being pulled down by gravity causing the bay to fill up.

Tip of the week: It’s time to start planning your boat’s decorations for this year’s Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade organized by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. The parade dates are Dec. 14 through 18, so you have only six weeks to have your boat decked out to the max. There are a couple of adjustments this year, and I will remind you of these again as time draws nearer. The on-the-water improvement will be a committee boat, which will follow the parade at the end. All boats registered in the parade will be cruising between the lead boat and the end boat. All the unregistered boats can still cruise the parade route, but now they will have to follow behind the ending committee boat.

There will be an addition to the parade on land in Balboa, somewhere between the Balboa Pavilion and Balboa Boat Rentals. The chamber will have a commentator announcing over a PA system about the boats passing by in the parade. This will be a great spot to bring the family and especially out-of-town guests to hear a narration, plus an excellent viewing location with easy parking at the Balboa Pier. Rumor on the water is that I am in the running to be the commentator; it would be the first time in 20 or so years that I am not skippering a boat in the parade.

Tune in to the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation, “Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show.” It airs every Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170). You can join me, Chandler Bell and Eric Hovland by calling the listener line at (888) 344-1170.

Safe Voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by e-mail to [email protected] or visit https://www.boathousetv.com.

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