Newport Beach Weighs Trucking About 100,000 Cubic Yards of Sand From the Santa Ana River to Rebuild Eroded Beaches
NEWPORT BEACH — Newport Beach is a city in Orange County, California. After storm surf and Tropical Storm Rachel drove widespread coastal flooding, the Newport Beach City Council heard a detailed staff briefing on October 13 on severe sand loss along the oceanfront and an emergency plan to move material into the most vulnerable stretches of beach. Public Works Director Dave Webb said the city has a bid to truck about 100,000 cubic yards of sand from the Santa Ana River to the groin fields, and expected to bring the contract to the council for award.
Staff described historic sand loss and the emergency berming already carried out, and warned that a larger hydraulic dredging program could be delayed by permitting and funding. Officials urged residents to use sandbags and prepare for king tides from late October through December, after recent high water repeatedly flooded streets on the Balboa Peninsula.
Earlier this month, swell from former Hurricane Rachel combined with unusually high tides to overtop roughly 20-foot sand berms near the Wedge, flooding an estimated 15 to 20 blocks of the Balboa Peninsula. The city declared a local emergency and closed some beaches and piers. Councilman Joe Stapleton called it the worst he had seen in 20 years on the Peninsula.
The trucking plan is a near-term measure to rebuild sand on the most exposed beach segments before the winter high tides and storm season, while larger-scale replenishment awaits permits and funding. (GSM, based on Newport Beach City Council meeting information)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Newport Beach Balboa Peninsula 航拍（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。Photo: Aerial view of the Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach (file photo). Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
