Long Beach Government Affairs Advisor Tom Modica, Army Corps of Engineers project manager Monica Eichler and 4th District City Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell address the crowd at a community meeting last night. Photos by Daniel DeBoom
11:30am | Over the past several years, the effort to alter or reconfigure the Long Beach Breakwater has evolved from a niche movement to a mainstream, citywide effort garnering support even from City officials – formerly the largest opponents of environmental activists and their attempt to improve water quality and possibly return waves to the shores of Long Beach.
These days, those activists can even count the Army Corps of Engineers among their supporters.
The Los Angeles district of the Army Corps has recommended approval of a feasibility study, according to project manager Monica Eichler during a community meeting on Monday night at Ecco’s Pizza. The San Francisco regional office will now make the final decision on whether or not the Army Corps will approve the 3-to-4 year process of conducting a feasibility study into possible reconfiguration of the Long Beach Breakwater. That decision is expected sometime in mid-June, said Long Beach Government Affairs Advisor Tom Modica.
“I can’t put a percentage on it,” said Eichler, “But I can say that at the district level, our Colonel, Colonel Magnus has signed off on the document saying that there is a federal interest. So there’s a pretty good chance [of regional approval].”
The City of Long Beach independently commissioned an engineering study of possible alterations to the federally-owned structure, and submitted their findings to the Army Corps last summer. During that time, the study has been reviewed by the Los Angeles district office and has now moved on to the San Francisco regional office with a recommendation of approval.
If approved, the Army Corps will then embark on an intensive study that would likely take between three and four years to complete, and will cost approximately $8 million. The City of Long Beach would be asked to contribute $4 million toward that goal. Once the study is completed, Eichler said, the Army Corps will emerge with a detailed strategy for reconfiguration that will aim to improve the local ecosystem without damaging existing infrastructure (homes, oil islands and other property). If that means the return of waves and possible tourism, all the better. They will then enter a two-year design phase to plan for construction, which could also take about two years.
The City would be asked to contribute about 35% of the construction costs. Total construction costs were estimated in the City-comissioned study to run anywhere between $10 million and $300 million.
But it all hinges on the decision that will soon come out of San Francisco. The Army Corps regional office could just as easily refuse to conduct a feasibility study if they disagree with the Los Angeles office and determine that their is not enough federal interest in reconfiguration.
Eichler and Modica were joined by Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell, whose office organized the community meeting. All three answered audience questions, and O’Donnell expressed confidence that if the Army Corps decides to move forward with the study that full support from the City Council can be expected. Similarly, he said that the Port of Long Beach may also be willing to provide support as well.
“I’m confident that the Port will want to work with us,” he said. “We’re not reaching into General Fund dollars that pay for Police, Fire, sidewalks etc. There’s some ocean protection money floating out there, there’s some State Bond money floating out there, there’s a variety of places that we can secure the City’s half of potential costs.”
Eichler also revealed that the Army Corps is currently conducting an independent feasibility study into ways to improve water quality in the Los Angeles River, the main reason that Long Beach suffers from severe water pollution as it enters onto city shores. Modica added that steps are already in place to help upstream cities filter the water that they enter into the river.
The environment in the restaurant last night was hopeful and optimistic, but in a nervous manner. Many believe passionately that a reconfiguration will retain some semblance of Long Beach’s once-positive reputation as a beach city, and supporters commonly site the City-commissioned study’s claim that tourism could provide up to a $52 million annual boost. But they are guarded. There are a lot of hurdles to overcome, and the federal government moves very slowly. This process will take time, certainly more than five years and possibly up to ten. But for the first time, there is reconfiguration support from those who make the decisions, and that has always been the biggest hurdle of all.