HomeMy WebLinkAbout25 - Newport Island Channels Oloid ProjectCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item No. 25
June 27, 2006
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: City Manager's Office
Dave Kiff, Assistant City Manager
949/644 -3002 or dkiff @city.newport- beach.ca.us
SUBJECT: Newport Island Channels Oloid Project — CEQA Determination
RECOMMENDATION:
Abandon the project indefinitely.
DISCUSSION:
As you will recall, at the May 23, 2006, meeting, your Council discussed a recommendation
from City staff regarding certification of a Categorical Exemption under CEQA for a project that
would install up to 15 devices (called Oloids or "oh -lo- weeds ") in the Newport Island channels
that would improve water circulation.
The item was continued until June 27, 2006, to allow for additional interaction with area
residents to attempt to address various concerns about the Project.
That evening and in the days that followed, we discussed residents' concerns about noise and
the long -term viability of these devices. We still believe that both noise and durability of the
Oloids can be successfully addressed, but not without a full -scale installation of all 15 devices in
the channels. However, this full -scale installation isn't possible without neighborhood support,
which today we do not have.
We also examined the possibility of installing a smaller number (four) of these devices near the
Newport Boulevard bridge as a pilot project. But since our engineering evaluation shows that
only 15 or more will actually improve water quality, installing just four merely for noise evaluation
purposes doesn't make much sense. And since the State of California proposed funding these
devices with Clean Beaches Initiative money, the State was also unwilling to do a partial
installation given the engineering studies that suggest that all 15 are needed.
Submitted by:
i
Dave ' (,Assistant ti Manager