Upper Newport Bay

With no significant federal or city funding on the horizon, the future of a city plan to begin cleaning Newport Harbor is murky at best, and money to complete dredging in Upper Newport Bay could run dry as early as August. Despite talk of budgeting $2 million to $4 million in city money as matching funding to spark a federal clean up of the lower part of Newport Bay, no money is slated in next year’s budget for the plan. The Newport Beach City Council will instead look at passing a resolution at its meeting tonight to provide an undetermined amount of funding for the project in “any fiscal year.

Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff has requested an extension of the deadline that requires him to move into the city limits. Part of Kiff's August 2009 employment contract stipulates that he had to make his "best efforts" to move into the city within 12 months. Even though that contract provision is considered unconstitutional, Kiff has agreed to move from Laguna Beach to Newport Beach and is remodeling a home near the west bluff of Upper Newport Bay. The remodel is taking longer than expected, Kiff said, so he has requested an extension until Dec. 31, according to a city report.

Paul Clinton The Orange County Board of Supervisors set the ball rolling on the $32.4-million dredging project for Upper Newport Bay. The board approved the start of design and other preparations for the project, set to get underway in 2003. A group of agencies has announced plans to fund the dredging, known as the Upper Newport Bay Ecosystem Restoration Project. More than $21 million is expected to come from federal sources. The county has set aside $400,000 this year to pay for the design work, money that will be refunded by the California Coastal Conservancy via a grant.

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Nearly 40 fifth-grade photographers turned out to display their work at the Picture Perfect photo essay contest ceremony held last month at Fletcher Jones Motorcars. As part of its 10th anniversary celebration, the Newport Beach dealership sponsored the contest to encourage students to develop an appreciation of nature. All images were taken of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve and were enlarged and professionally mounted. "It is amazing to view these dynamic images of the Upper Newport Bay as seen by these very talented youngsters," said Garth Blumenthal, general manager for Fletcher Jones.

Back Bay Drive in Newport Beach will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday for the annual Upper Newport Bay cleanup, authorities said. The 24th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day sponsored by the California Coastal Commission will bring volunteers to the edges of Upper Newport Bay Saturday morning and afternoon to pick up whatever scraps they can to keep the bay clean. Newport Beach’s Back Bay Science Center will coordinate the event. Volunteers will walk the shoreline and area around it with others working from small boats in adjoining waterways, officials said.

Dredging in Upper Newport Bay will resume once a series of bad storms passes over the area, city officials said this week. Next week, workers are expected to begin dredging out an area of the Upper Bay near Jamboree Road, using an excavator on a barge to scoop out sediment from the bottom of the bay. The dredging project is slated for completion at the end of 2010, Councilwoman Leslie Daigle said. “Once the excavation restarts, there is a one-year shot clock to completion,” Daigle said.

Newport Beach city officials will meet with Col. Thomas Magness from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today to discuss dredging Upper Newport Bay and Newport Harbor. Officials will discuss a timeline for finishing up dredging in the upper bay and laying the groundwork for a later clean up of the harbor. Congress approved $17.3 million in federal stimulus money to finish dredging in Upper Newport Bay earlier this year. An additional $1.6 million in this year’s federal budget will go toward preliminary studies and engineering work to begin dredging Newport Harbor.

June Casagrande Any area school kids who don't know about Upper Newport Bay Coastal Cleanup Day certainly will by the first week of school. The Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends this week are sending out 18,000 fliers to the Newport-Mesa and Irvine unified school district schools, all in the hopes of getting kids involved in the environment for Coastal Cleanup Day and for life. "This is a working day and an educational fun day for the kids," said Kathy Painter of the Naturalists and Friends.