Funding Increased for Dredging Project

Federal funding has been increased by $2.4 million—to $7.7 million—for a project to dredge the harbor at Marina del Rey, move clean sand to Redondo Beach and Dockweiler State Beach and dump contaminated sediment at a fill site in the Port of Long Beach, it was announced Thursday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing the dredging project, which is designed to deepen the marina's north and south entrances.

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About 75,000 cubic yards of clean, dredged sand will go to Redondo Beach, which suffered beach erosion during major storms in 2005, and 140,000 cubic yards of clean sand will be dumped offshore of Dockweiler State Beach.

Since 1999, when the entrance was last dredged, more than 1 million cubic yards of sediment from Ballona Creek and neighboring beaches have caused shoaling at the mouth of the harbor.

County Supervisor Don Knabe said the port expansion would generate about 14,000 jobs. He estimated that using Long Beach's approved fill site for the contaminated sand would save more than $85 million and 42,000 truck trips that would have been required to dispose of the sediment at inland sites.

The Board of Supervisors approved the project in November. Work is expected to get under way next month, and officials hope to have it completed by the end of the year.

Knabe commended the funding increase, saying the additional money would allow the dredging of more sediment.

"All levels of government are facing tight budgets and I appreciate the great partnership that local and federal officials have shown in meeting a critical regional need," he said. "It's been a long time coming and I'm thrilled that we have found an environmentally sound solution that saves millions of dollars, while protecting lives."

City News Service contributed to this report.