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HomeMy WebLinkAbout0 - Upper Bay DredgingCGRI� The Story Behind Back Bay Dredging A Conversation with Mayor Pro -Tem Leslie Daigle What is the purpose of the dredging we see going on in the Back Bay? The dredging of the Upper Bay is an "Ecosystem Restoration" project —one of only a handful on the West Coast. It is intended to protect a variety of important habitats in the Upper Bay —from open- and deep -water habitat to mudflat to pickleweed. These habitats are home to a diversity of species. Because the Upper Bay's watershed (the area which drains fresh water into the Bay) is so large — encompassing parts of Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin, Lake Forest, and Irvine (to name a few cities), those same fresh -water flows bring significant sediment into the Bay. This occurs when creeksides wash out during large storms, as well as when smaller rain events carry garden and construction site dirt into tributary creeks. I would note great concern as we enter the rainy season for the Upper Bay and its watershed — the October 2007 Santiago Fire burnt a whopping 16 percent of the watershed! A large rainstorm, while welcome in breaking our possible drought, could bring untold amounts of sediment from the burn areas into the Bay. Aw. 1470 Jamboree Road Newport Beach, CA 92660 949 - 729 -4400 Who developed the dredging plan and who is actually doing the work? A group of stakeholders, including local residents, the City, resources agencies, the County, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and a team of qualified resource consultants developed the dredging plan. It was one of six alternatives fully vetted over many months in the late 1990s and early 2000. The process included a full Environmental Impact Statement ( "EIS "), which is the federal equivalent of an EIR. The US Army Corps is managing a private sector contractor to do the actual dredging. How long will it take to complete? We are now doing work that was deferred for some time. The completion depends in large part upon the funding available and allocated towards this project. This is a multi -year $38.5 million dollar project that is cost - shared between the federal government and localities, including the state. The state /local share of S13.5 million has been met, and that has funded the largest portion of the work to date. But the federal government needs to appropriate about $14 million more to meet its share of the obligation. In recent weeks, the Federal government appears to have eked out another $2.2 million, which is enough to stretch the project into Summer 2008, but not much longer than that. continued on back... Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID TMG V ho IMMIX III �fI LP�D ♦_fir. - - -- -�•,F -�. ` 'mot` -` _TI 1 • ~ • • . Residents take part in JWA TeleForum N On Monday, December 10, the Coalition for General Plan Accountability held its second TeleForum with . i Newport Beach residents. The topic of discussion was John Wayne Airport and its impact on the residents �� • , ' Y r� `, of Newport Beach. More than 1,000 residents participated in the TeleForum, which lasted for an hour. The TeleForum generated • , ` . `. ' some great questions from the public. Unfortunately, time ran out to address all the questions so here are a f f 9 . ` Y Y ` • YY few that we weren't able to get to. •; f, Y How much weight does Newport Beach have with the FAA to influence the safety ■ of the airport? • " .. �, . The FAA has the same safety standards for all airports, given each particular circumstance. We aren't going ■ i to convince them some procedure or take -off pattern is unsafe unless it is proven by actual test results to be unsafe. The FAA would say that safety is its top priority at airports and in regulating all aircraft. r s Will the settlement agreement extend beyond the current period, which ends 2016? Newport Beach will certainly do our best to make sure the Settlement Agreement is extended, but it is too early to say what the terms and conditions of that extension might be. The current agreement expires December 31, 2015. To hear a recording of the TeleForum, visit GeneralPlanAccountabiIity.org. SAVE THE UPPER NEWPORT BAY A PETITION TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH URGING THEM TO ENCOURAGE THE U.S. CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH TO PRIORITIZE FUNDING FOR UPPER NEWPORT BAY ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT WE THE UNDERSIGNED CITIZENS ASK THAT THE NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL ADOPT THIS RESOLUTION IMMEDIATELY Please sign, detach and mail to: The City of Newport Beach 3300 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92663 WHEREAS, the Upper Newport Bay is the largest, and one of the few remaining, functioning full tidal wet- lands in southern California; and WHEREAS, the Upper Newport Bay is a 752 acre ecological preserve that is the home to over 75 species of fish, nearly 200 species of birds, including several threatened and endangered species, as well as many sensitive plants and animals; and WHEREAS, the Bay is an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway for 50,000 migratory birds each year; and WHEREAS, the Upper Newport Bay has become an important recreational and educational area to local residents who use the Bay for hiking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, fishing, enjoying and learning about nature; and WHEREAS, the dredging of the Upper Newport Bay improves the water quality of the Lower Newport Bay, thereby improving recreation fishing; and WHEREAS, the dredging of the Upper Newport Bay improves the water quality of Lower Newport Bay for water contact sports including swimming and kayaking; and WHEREAS, the dredging of Upper Newport Bay improves the water of Lower Newport Bay creating a more pleasant environment for boating activities; and Street Address: Email (optional): WHEREAS, the amount to dredge the Lower Bay is $11 million and the City shall seek to obtain local, state and federal funding sources to assist the Army Corps of Engineers in the implementation phase; and WHEREAS, now that the design phase of Lower Bay dredging is complete, the City will work with the Corps of Engineers and state and federal representa- tives for funding assistance to implement the Lower Bay dredging project; and WHEREAS, these recreation activities generate economic activity. This increased economic activity generates more revenues for government; and WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress authorized the ecosystem restoration project by Federal law in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (Public Law 106 -541); WHEREAS, the project is cost - shared with the Federal government at a 65/35 ratio between Federal and local funds; and WHEREAS, the State of California has already provided the local cost share of $13.5 million; and WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have already provided $13.2 million in Federal funds for the restoration project; and WHEREAS, the remaining Federal share of the project is $11.8 million; and WHEREAS, the project is nearing completion and any delays will add millions in costs to the project and further degradation of the critical habitat; now, therefore be it RESOLVED that the Residents of Newport Beach call on the City Council of the City of Newport Beach to relay to the United States Congress and the President of the United States that it fully supports the immediate completion of the Upper Newport Bay Ecosystem Restoration project; and be it further RESOLVED that the City Council urges the U.S. Congress and the President to provide the remain- ing Federal cost share of $14 million to complete the Upper Newport Bay Restoration Project; and be it further RESOLVED that the City Council commits to lobby the entire Orange County Congressional Delegation to express its full support for the restoration project and request that they take every necessary action to secure final funding for the project; and be it further RESOLVED that the City Council commits to work with the U.S. Congress, Federal agencies and their local partners in the project to ensure that the critical Upper Newport Bay Ecosystem Restoration project is completed without delay. .continued from cover Who is paying for it? Federal and state partners are helping pay for it because of the regional value of the resource. As noted, it's cost - shared 65 % -35% between the federal government and the "local partners." The breakdown is as follows: Federal Share 165010 StatelLocal Share (35 %) Appropriated $13.2 million Proposition 12 $13.5 million Amount Needed $11.8 million Is there anything we can do to get the funding we need? Yes! Our elected officials in Congress need to hear from us, as does President Bush. The Orange County congressional delegation can be helpful, including US Representatives Campbell, Royce, Calvert, and Sanchez. All have been supportive of this project in the past. So have U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Each needs to hear from us again how important it is to complete this project while the dredger is still out there working. The mere act of stopping and re- starting the project adds about a million dollars more in expense, so it makes sense to get the additional funding appropriated now. The most urgent message is this —when preparing the Federal Fiscal Year '09 budget, the Upper Bay Project needs $11.8 million appropriated to it. Anything less doesn't finish the job nor meet the obligations of the Federal government. You can use the City's website (www.city- newport- beach.ca.us) to design a letter or e-mail and send it off to our representatives and to President Bush. Will there also be dredging in the lower bay? The General Plan also calls out dredging of the harbor. Greater vitality of the bay will increase accessibility of piers, improve navigation, and improve water quality. This will create a more pleasant environment for boating and water contact sports and generate additional economic activity. The harbor is a regional resource that generates tax revenue for state and local government. The federal government has an obligation in the Lower Bay to keep what's called the Federal Navigational Channel clear and well - maintained. It's what the Corps' calls an ongoing responsibility area that the local Corps District Office (Los Angeles) keeps attempting to fund. But by the time the budget request makes it to the Corps' main office in DC, it gets cut back —other priorities overwhelm it. We need to keep pushing and provide incentives for the federal government to do the work. The City Council has discussed a couple of creative options here —one is to ask the Corps to dredge the entire Lower Bay one time to design depth. Then the City would take on full responsibility for keeping it dredged — letting the Corps and the federal government "off the hook." Another is to, for the first time ever, chip in Newport Beach taxpayer dollars (NOT raising taxes, but using City general fund monies) to match federal dollars. I'm hopeful that one or more of these enticements might work because the Lower Bay is in serious need of dredging all over.