The city of Long Beach wants to light up its coastline for America’s 250th birthday.
City officials asked the California Coastal Commission for permission to quadruple the size of its normal July 4 fireworks show by anchoring three barges 1,200 feet off the shore in three locations stretching from Junipero Beach to Belmont Shore. They would be in addition to the barge already approved to launch fireworks at the Queen Mary, according to the application reviewed by the Long Beach Post.
Yesterday, Coastal Commission staff approved most of the plan but told Long Beach they’d have to scale it back. In a letter sent Thursday, they allowed the city only two extra barges, one near Cherry Avenue and one near Bay Shore Avenue, in addition to the Queen Mary location.
The shows will be free and last about 20 minutes, according to the documents. The city hasn’t announced any other details.
The Coastal Commission, which enforces environmental and public access rules along the California coast, is also requiring the city to organize a beach cleanup on July 5, and it must monitor nearby nesting bird habitats to make sure they’re not disrupted by the show.
The Coastal Commission has been putting tighter controls on fireworks in recent years.
They refused to permit the annual Big Bang on the Bay July 3 fireworks show over Alamitos Bay after the organizer said he couldn’t follow their instructions to switch to drones. Harm to nesting birds was a key reason for their decision.
The city’s barges off the coast will be required to be at least 2,800 feet away from any nesting habitat. The Coastal Commission letter also cited the fact that it’s a one-time event as a reason they were willing to approve the extra barges.
The Coastal Commission’s OK isn’t required for the city’s annual show at the Queen Mary. The commission gave the Port of Long Beach the authority over that area many years ago under a master plan it approved for the whole port complex. Then in 1992, the port transferred that authority over the Queen Mary property to the city of Long Beach, according to City Attorney Dawn McIntosh.
That complicated regulatory framework means the Queen Mary show must still abide by the same water quality rules as other shows, but it’s allowed to escape any extra scrutiny from the Coastal Commission.