10:00am | In an effort to move forward with plans to reconfigure the Long Beach Breakwater, 1st District Councilmember Robert Garcia has launched a letter-writing campaign on his website that encourages readers to write and submit a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Over 400 letters have been collected, according to Garcia. Click here to visit the letter-writing site.
The Army Corps originally designed and built the breakwater back in the 1940’s,and any modification to the structure must be federally approved through them. The City of Long Beach commissioned an engineering firm to devise several plans to reconfigure the breakwater that would improve water quality and possibly bring waves back to the coast, and in October the Army Corps was funded $90,000 to review the study. The Corps is now determining whether the action would be cost-effective, financially and environmentally beneficial without endangering homes and other properties.
“We can activate our beaches while protecting our coastal communities,” reads a statement on Garcia’s website. Letters must be submitted by Monday, April 26 at 5:00pm.
The Army Corps has so far given no indication of what they will decide. While a reconfiguration or removal of the breakwater would be extremely costly, it may also drive tourism and provide an economic bump to Long Beach. Some residents have argued for years that local beaches suffer to poor water quality and lack of tourism because there are no waves and little water circulation.
“Let’s send a strong message to the Army Corps that Long Beach is ready to take this next important step and complete a Federal Feasibility Study,” Garcia says on his website.
Click here to read our policy on covering the Long Beach City Council.