Feinstein urges bay dredging support

Sen. Dianne Feinstein urged an audience of public officials and

environmentalists to ask members of Congress to fund Upper Newport

Bay dredging at a ceremony Tuesday to commemorate the planned

dredging project, which is expected to begin soon.

“Say ‘Please, this is vital,’” Feinstein said. “It’s vital for the

people; it’s vital for the birds.”

Convincing Republicans to support the project would be

particularly beneficial, the Democratic senator said.

The dredging project is expected to cost more than $39 million

over three years and is not yet fully funded. Under a plan that

Orange County supervisors approved in August, more than two-thirds of

dredging money would come from Washington.

Congress has yet to iron out the differences between the House and

Senate versions of an appropriations bill that would provide money

for dredging work. The Senate version would allocate more money for

the project -- $7 million compared with the $2 million written into

the House bill.

A conference committee could meet within 10 days to work out the

differences in the appropriations bills, Feinstein said.

The ceremony was held outside at the Peter and Mary Muth

Interpretive Center, which overlooks the Back Bay. Clear skies

combined with the bay’s blue waters and many plants to create a

mostly tranquil setting. The roar of jets taking off from John Wayne

Airport served as a reminder of the Back Bay’s status as a natural

habitat surrounded by a bustling urban landscape.

“I have actually not been here before, but I think it’s clear to

see that Upper Newport Bay is an oasis,” Feinstein said.

The California Coastal Conservancy announced a $12-million grant for the dredging project in 2003. Sam Schuchat, the agency’s

executive officer, told the audience he was happy to attend the event

because it means a successful result has come from “years of

meetings, conference calls and a stack of environmental reports as

high as this podium.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the lead government agency for

the project. In September, the Corps of Engineers inked a

$16.5-million contract with Rio Vista-based DD-M Crane & Rigging to

begin work. The company is owned by Denise Maurer, who said she

expects to know when actual dredging will begin after an Oct. 21

meeting with the Corps of Engineers.

Dredging is needed because sediments have flowed into the bay for

years, gradually filling it. During the project, about 2.3 million

cubic yards of mud is planned to be dug out from the bay.