Political sides should support bay dredging

The birds and beasts that make the Upper Newport Bay their home caught sight of a powerful ally earlier this month when Sen. Dianne Feinstein stopped by to urge support for much-needed but quite-costly dredging.

“Say ‘Please, this is vital,’” Feinstein told a group of public officials and environmentalists to say to members of Congress. “It’s vital for the people; it’s vital for the birds.”

The Back Bay, as has been true in the past, is in dire need of dredging for the simple reason that it is full of sediment. As years pass, stuff flows into the Upper Newport Bay, gradually filling it up.

This, quite naturally, affects the fragile ecosystem of the protected estuary. The planned dredging, which is expected to cost about $39 million over three years, will remove some 2.3 million cubic yards of gunk.

The trouble, of course, has always been finding the money for the work. The California Coastal Conservancy established a $12-million grant for the dredging project in 2003. Feinstein managed to get $7 million written into a Senate appropriations bill this year; a House version, backed by then Rep. Chris Cox, contains just $2 million. Both are a far cry from the two-thirds that county supervisors hope eventually will come from Washington.

And so it comes to the unexpected combination of Democrat Feinstein and GOP-heavy Newport Beach (and other parts of Orange County) to ensure there is money for the dredging.

It could, and should, be a winning combination.

Together, Feinstein and local Republican leaders -- including whoever fills the seat vacated by Cox -- could cross party lines and gain support for Back Bay dredging money that would be deep and widespread.

It is a project that elected officials from along the political spectrum should be able to support. It is good for the environment. It is good for tourism and, thus, business in Newport Beach. There are reasons for everyone to find ways to fund it.

Now, they simply need to get the job done.