Marina del Rey Suspends Anchoring, Approves Dredging
Dredging will commence next month and continue through March 2007.
MARINA DEL REY - The north entrance to Marina del Rey is changing in order to improve navigation for the next few months.
The Marina del Rey Harbor Department is stopping boats from anchoring near the breakwater, according to Sgt. Mike Corelis. Dredging will begin at the north entrance the first week of January, county employee Walter Popoff said.
Starting Dec. 1, the harbor department will not allow boats to anchor within 1,000 ft. of the entrance to the harbor while it is being dredged. Citing a California navigation law, officers want to keep the area clear where anchoring has become a safety and navigation hazard, Corelis said.
"All the boats out there are potentially a safety hazard," Corelis said. "They're putting our boats and personnel in jeopardy. It's (also) a public hazard for people wanting to use the beach."
The department is drafting an ordinance that would permanently set the 1,000-ft. barrier in place. The ordinance could be on the books within the next three months.
For the last eight years, the department has seen a problem with boats slipping from their anchors. Boats would bang into one another, sink or run aground onto the nearby beach, Corelis said. Debris and hazardous materials from these boats cause beach closures and cleanups that block the entrances.
And blocking entrances would not be good, as the Army Corps of Engineers will be dredging the north entrance to the harbor. Starting the first week of January and continuing through March 2007, officials will be dredging six or seven days a week, at times closing the north entrance.
"We're approaching seven years since the last dredging occurred." Popoff said. "The north entrance is extremely full. A large part of it is closed now."
The county will dredge the area to its original 20-ft. depth, pushing sand offshore. The displaced sand should eventually be pulled up by the ocean and replenish nearby Dockweiler Beach and other South Bay beaches.
Federal and county funds will split the cost for the dredging, which was approved Nov. 8. Federal aid will constitute the first $1.4 million in costs, while the county will pick up the rest, up to $1.6 million of its own money. The Coast Guard will be broadcasting closures of the north entrance on VHF Channel 16.
http://www.thelog.com/news/newsview.asp?c=200574
Dredging will commence next month and continue through March 2007.
MARINA DEL REY - The north entrance to Marina del Rey is changing in order to improve navigation for the next few months.
The Marina del Rey Harbor Department is stopping boats from anchoring near the breakwater, according to Sgt. Mike Corelis. Dredging will begin at the north entrance the first week of January, county employee Walter Popoff said.
Starting Dec. 1, the harbor department will not allow boats to anchor within 1,000 ft. of the entrance to the harbor while it is being dredged. Citing a California navigation law, officers want to keep the area clear where anchoring has become a safety and navigation hazard, Corelis said.
"All the boats out there are potentially a safety hazard," Corelis said. "They're putting our boats and personnel in jeopardy. It's (also) a public hazard for people wanting to use the beach."
The department is drafting an ordinance that would permanently set the 1,000-ft. barrier in place. The ordinance could be on the books within the next three months.
For the last eight years, the department has seen a problem with boats slipping from their anchors. Boats would bang into one another, sink or run aground onto the nearby beach, Corelis said. Debris and hazardous materials from these boats cause beach closures and cleanups that block the entrances.
And blocking entrances would not be good, as the Army Corps of Engineers will be dredging the north entrance to the harbor. Starting the first week of January and continuing through March 2007, officials will be dredging six or seven days a week, at times closing the north entrance.
"We're approaching seven years since the last dredging occurred." Popoff said. "The north entrance is extremely full. A large part of it is closed now."
The county will dredge the area to its original 20-ft. depth, pushing sand offshore. The displaced sand should eventually be pulled up by the ocean and replenish nearby Dockweiler Beach and other South Bay beaches.
Federal and county funds will split the cost for the dredging, which was approved Nov. 8. Federal aid will constitute the first $1.4 million in costs, while the county will pick up the rest, up to $1.6 million of its own money. The Coast Guard will be broadcasting closures of the north entrance on VHF Channel 16.
http://www.thelog.com/news/newsview.asp?c=200574
