All permits are in place for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge channels in Lower Newport Bay and bury any contaminated sediment in a massive underwater pit at the heart of Newport Harbor.
But the project is now facing multiple legal challenges that could slow it down or thwart it entirely, as resident and environmental groups that tried to block those permits cite ongoing concerns over risks to marine life and bay contamination.
Already, work on the project is progressing slower than expected. And while efforts to clear sediment brought into channels by tides, boats and storms were expected to start last fall, the Army Corps hasn’t yet put the project out to bid.
“We had anticipated being further along at this point,” said Chris Miller, a manager with Newport Beach’s Public Works department who’s been overseeing the project. He cited standard processes on the Corps’ side to wrap up construction documents as reason for the delay.
Opponents aim to argue in court that those plans still don’t include sufficient analysis and safeguards to protect Newport Harbor.
Friends of Newport Harbor, a coalition of seaside residents that includes tech billionaire Palmer Luckey, sued the California Coastal Commission and the city of Newport Beach in late November over the project. Their lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, alleges the commission and city violated the Coastal Act and California Environmental Quality Act by approving the plan. A hearing on the case is set for July 11.
“This isn’t a problem solved. This is just sweeping the problem under the rug,” said Shana Conzelman, a Lido Island resident and volunteer director with Friends of Newport Harbor, of plans to bury contaminated sediment in the harbor.
The resident group also sued the Army Corps in federal court in late February for failing to respond to requests for public information. They said in a statement that they “refuse to allow the Corps’ stonewalling to rob us and…
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