PORT OF LOS ANGELES : Corps to Resubmit Plan to Dredge Channel

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will try for a second time to get the California Coastal Commission to approve a major dredging project in the entrance channel of Marina del Rey.

At a public hearing Tuesday, the commission will discuss the Corps’ plan to dredge 132,000 cubic yards of debris from the channel and dispose of it in port waters.

The plan was rejected by the commission at its September meeting in Eureka.

The commission said the Corps’ plan failed to outline a long-term solution to handle the debris that travels from Ballona Creek and accumulates in the Marina del Rey channel.

Concerns also were raised about a plan to store the dredged material inside special plastic tubes, to be placed in shallow areas of the port.

Army Corps spokesman Fred-Otto Egeler said some of the commission’s concerns have been addressed in the new proposal.

And a memorandum of understanding between the Corps, the commission and Los Angeles County to investigate a long-term solution could result in a different decision by commissioners this time.

Commission staff now recommend approving the project.

The hearing will be at 10 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Holiday Inn, 5985 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles.