NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District collaborated with the City of Newport Beach, Orange County Public Works and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to remove debris from several unauthorized encampments April 19 in the Santa Ana River Marsh at Newport Beach. The area is home to endangered habitat.
The team, consisting of LA District Park rangers, scientists and leaders, along with city and county maintenance workers, combed the marsh to remove tons of debris, by hand, from the eco-logically delicate bird nesting area.
“My concern is it’s nesting season, and this is an environmental habitat, so we’ve got to do something,” said Newport Beach City Manager Tara Finnigan. Finnigan and Dave Webb, director of Public Works for the City of Newport Beach, toured the clean-up area to assess the volume of trash and debris that was impacting the marsh.
District biologists were present, as the work in the area required environmental clearances and biological monitoring to ensure endangered species were not disturbed. Additionally, a district safety officer monitored the operation and movement of various large construction equipment, including a long-reach excavator, that was used to remove debris from the banks of the marsh.
“The cleanup was a success due to proper planning, coordination, activity hazard analysis development, short-term rentals of proper heavy equipment for this area and the coordination with Orange County, Newport Beach and our SPL team,” said Michael Turanitza, deputy chief of the LA District Operations Division.
The Operations Division is responsible for the operation and maintenance of flood-risk management projects, including 16 dams and 68 miles of levees and channels across Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.
Clean-up teams hauled off trash, shopping carts and numerous other items from the abandoned and illegal campsites. Scores of large dumpsters and trash trucks were filled and re-filled throughout the day.
The LA District worked closely with officials to plan and coordinate the cleanup. Recognizing the urgency and significance of this task to the local community, all agencies involved collaborated to ensure the cleanup was carried out in compliance with all policy and legal regulations.