Mayor's Corner

By: Mayor Joe Stapleton

Newport Harbor is more than stunningly beautiful; it is a vital gateway for commerce, recreation and marine life. Maintaining its depth and cleanliness is crucial for the continued preservation of this amazing local and regional asset. 

Over time, the buildup of sand and sediment on the harbor floor restricts navigation and creates hazards for watercraft. Through dredging, crews remove this excess material, allowing for safer passage and ensuring our harbor remains safe and navigable. 

Dredging also improves water quality by reducing pollutants and restoring natural water flow. It prevents stagnation, which can lead to harmful algae blooms and ecosystem degradation.

Fortunately, a long-awaited project to dredge the lower Newport Harbor will begin this spring. 

The project was delayed over objections to a disposal method proposed for a portion of the dredge material that was unsuitable for placement in the open ocean. During that delay, a new solution presented itself: using the material for a pier fill project at the Port of Long Beach. 

This arrangement is similar to Newport Beach's previous projects in 2011 and 2012, when dredged sediment from Newport Harbor that was unsuitable for open ocean disposal was transported to Long Beach for the Middle Harbor redevelopment project. 

A port fill option was not available when the City and Army Corps of Engineers began designing plans for the upcoming phase of dredging in Newport Harbor. The City's proposed solution, known as confined aquatic disposal, will no longer be required. Now, up to 225,000 cubic yards of dredged material will be transported by barge to the Port of Long Beach, and the remaining material will be placed in a federally approved open ocean site. 

The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to begin dredging within the next few months. This project is an important investment in our community’s future. I would like to recognize the efforts of current and former Newport Beach council members, in particular Duffy Duffield, who tirelessly advocated for the federal funding needed for this project.

I look forward to keeping our community updated on the progress of the harbor dredging project as it gets underway this spring.  

Mayor Joe Stapleton is serving his first term as Mayor of Newport Beach.

Follow on IG @newportstapleton

jstapleton@newportbeachca.gov