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UPDATE: Army Corps Of Engineers Approves Interest In Breakwater Feasibility Study by Ryan ZumMallen | Archive | 06.21.10 |
+  5:00pm | The Army Corps of Engineers has released their long-awaited Reconnaissance Study of possibly reconfiguring the Long Beach Breakwater and has determined that there is Federal interest in pursuing the effort in the interest of improving water quality and circulation while improving the habitat for several species of fish and aquatic invertebrates. The report will be presented to the Long Beach City Council during their meeting tomorrow. The Council could then vote on whether or not to approve an agreement to move forward with a larger, extremely detailed Feasibility Study to be conducted by the Army Corps over the next four years. The City of Long Beach will be expected to pay for half of the Feasibility Study, or $4,145,700. Click here to read about the city's options in coming up with the funds. The Feasibility Study will include detailed reports on circulation, water quality, wave action, economic impact, environmental habitats, potential dangers to the Port of Long Beach, container ships, oil islands and all other property, alterations to the Long Beach Breakwater and the Los Angeles River, and more. Click here to download and read the 35-page Reconnaissance Study released by the Army Corps today. UPDATE 7:00pm | Three City Councilmembers have released statements concerning the report. They are from Gerrie Schipske, Robert Garcia and Patrick O'Donnell below: Gerrie Schipske, from her blog: Just hot off my email desk, I received the following email from our Government Relations Director regarding the Army Corps of Engineers study that indicates they will include water quality and waves in the study but did note that: Additionally, the Study lists the various constraints on the project such as the Port of Long Beach berths, Navy anchorage, Long Beach peninsula, THUMS islands, marinas and docks, and navigational safety, and states that these areas must not be adversely affected. Robert Garcia Now that the Army Corps has declared federal interest, we have a historic opportunity to remake our shoreline and bring waves and clean water back to Long Beach. The funding for the Breakwater study is an investment that will activate our beaches, raise property values, and support current and new businesses. Patrick O'Donnell
Related Coverage O'Donnell Offers Surfing Lesson To Chamber CEO After Breakwater Statement Councilmembers Take Sides On Breakwater Issue Long Beach Chamber Opposes Funding Breakwater Study Follow the LBPOST.com on our Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. Click here to read our policy on covering the Long Beach City Council.
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17 Comments so far.
Fund the study Every council member should vote to not only support but fund the study on Tuesday. Grant Eads Great News. mwhbb.com Demand clean beaches and a healthy local environment. BUGGA BOO BOO GREAT - LET'S MOVE ON! AnotherLBResident Great news, a big step towards reclaiming our beach and dramatically improving out city. City Council - please vote for moving forward on this. Jon Awesome! Yes! A big step forward in the right direction. Cynthia As a 3rd generation Southern Californian I am especially annoyed by those who take the condition of our polluted ocean and L.A. River so lightly. Many have streamed to our state for a lifestyle unlike where they came from, and one has to ask, what was the draw... it's the beach right? Well it's time all those who have soaked up this beauty to take responsibility and protect it. I can only hope that one day everyone will understand how invaluable a clean and healthy ocean is to all of us, local or not. Support our right to clean water and beaches. Robert Garcia Thanks to everyone is support of this important and historic effort. I encourage you to attend Tuesday night's meeting or to email your Councilmembers. Go Long Beach! Bob The price tag for the study is hefty, especially in a time when the City is scrambling with budget shortfalls. BUT, I hope we can look beyond that and toward the economic gains we can expect from a coastline that is inviting to both locals and tourists. Lets get this done! sorry, don't fund. what we need is a water treatment plant at the end of the river. Put $8 mil towards that. Rick We don't need to spend 4 million so that surfers can have waves. Use the money to really help the beaches and stop the pollution at the source.. Upstream in the LA River. So LB pays,, The ocean water quality is tied to the LA River effluence. That is a big surprise, NOT. But now Long Beach is expected to pay the bill, to study how to fix a problem that is largely cause for LA city, so a bunch OC beach bums have another beach to surf at, gee that seems fair. LBresident This is a classic example of "group think" amongst the council members. There is no money for this, and while a fraction of voters may say that they want this, if they are asked if they would like a tax hike to pay for it, they would certainly reject it right now. I emplore our local politicians to stop being overly enamored with the idea of accomplishing something tangible and focus on the needs of your constituents- jobs, forclosures, upkeep of roads. There will come a time when LB can throw around a few million bucks or shake down other entities to pay for it. That time is not right now. Pam Wonderful news. Having clean ocean water with waves, will have tremendous positive impact on so many aspects. The city will definitely benefit financially...tourists could swim here and wouldn't have to leave and spend their beach money elsewhere! WE, the people of LB, will certainly love to swim in our OWN beach and spend our money here instead of orange county! And our housing values will certainly go up! No downside. Dave in Alamitos Beach A fraction of the voters support this? I haven't met a person yet who didn't favor tearing down the breakwater. The only ones I can think of who might oppose it are Peninsula residents who don't want to share "their beach" with any "outsiders." And didn't LB voters vote to tax themselves 1.2 billion dollars for school repairs? Makes 4 million a piddling drop in the bucket. Joan An important point that must be made is that this a clean ocean is important and not just for surfing. The whole future of the historic downtown can only be assured by a clean beach. Think of the future when conventioneers could don their swimsuits and swim after a day of meetings, when tourists could go from their Ocean Blvd hotel to the beach and swim and surf, when tourists could take their bikes for a ride on the bike path and swim along the way, when tourists could visit Wilmore city and explore a clean river bank or take their bike on a shuttle bus to a lovely park at the terminus of the LA River bike path and spend the day biking. Long Beach has so much to gain from a clean ocean and among all these considerations the preservation of our historic downtown is one of the most important! AnotherAlamitosBeachRes I too have not talked to anyone against this. And those that are hesitant are usually persuaded once they here the facts. Most residents in Belmont Shore I spoken to about this are in favor of it as well. Jay If I understand correctly, the study will also look into redirecting the mouth of the river away from the shoreline to prevent trash from ending up in the ocean and on the shoreline.
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Ryan ZumMallen has served as the managing editor of the LBPOST.com since 2007. He graduated from CSULB with a degree in Print Journalism in 2008 and is a member of the 2009 class of Leadership Long Beach. You can find him on various basketball courts around the city.
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