“Friends of Newport Harbor,” resisted & protested the dredging project citing concerns about dumping “toxic” waste in a residential harbor.
Protestors gathered to push the city of Newport Beach to delay or even get rid of the application submitted to the state Coastal Commission for the construction of a confined aquatic dredged disposal site in lower Newport Harbor.
Newport Beach has supported the dredging project, saying this project will ultimately allow Newport Beach to be a safer and cleanlier area. The group, “Friends of Newport Harbor,” gathered at Newport Beach city council meetings to tell the story of how dangerous this project can be for Newport Beach.
“Pull it so that we can review and do proper testing and follow the proper guidance provided by the army corps,” Shana Conzelman, a member of Friends of Newport Harbor, said to Patch.com.
According to the Daily Pilot, “It would hold roughly 112,500 cubic yards of dredged material from the federal channels deemed unsuitable for open ocean release.”
Newport Beach has been open about their plan for this new dredging plan in regards to details & action. The plan has been revised from the Coastal Commission and has finally gotten to the final process before implementing the dredging plan.
Newport’s City Council submitted an application to perform this proposal to the Coastal Commission back in May of 2021. The review was later delayed until this October where the Coastal Commission approved the project.
