Newport Beach Builds Higher Berm To Avoid More Flood Damage

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Newport Beach was able to avoid a second consecutive night of flood damage amid a weekend high tide warning thanks to a larger sand berm, officials said Sunday.

On Friday night and Saturday morning, waves crashed over the sand at the Balboa Pier and into parking lots and streets, destroying a sailboat.

The following night, workers increased the size of their sand berm and it worked a lot better, city spokesman John Pope said.

New & larger sand walls are expected to provide protection against further Peninsula flooding tonight. As a precaution, free sandbags are available for residents & businesses, while supplies last, at the end of Washington Street by the pavilion. Avoid parking in low-lying areas.
— City of Newport Beach (@newportbeachgov) July 4, 2020

"Knowing how the ocean behaved on Friday, the crew knew how high to make the berm," Pope told the OC Register. "We were pretty confident the new berm would hold, based on what we had seen before."

The tide peaked at 6.5 feet at 8:25 p.m. Friday, according to USHARBORS, an online service provided for boaters.

The National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory through noon Monday warning that waves and surf of five to seven feet with sets to eight feet were likely.

Pope said it could take five to seven days to clean up all the sand and debris from nearby streets.

—City News Service