Newport Beach to move sand from the Santa Ana River outlet to address coastal erosion

Newport Beach's eroding shoreline is getting some help as city and county authorities approved the expedited transfer of sand from the Santa Ana River outlet in West Newport.

This comes as the Orange County coastline was hit hard by effects from Hurricane Marie, and in preparation for this winter's
El Niño storm season. Newport's The Wedge is famous for big surf, and it has suffered heavy erosion.

"Government must act quickly and cut through unnecessary red tape to protect our shorelines and critical coastal infrastructure," OC Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Katrina Foley said. "In Orange County, sand is infrastructure."

Up to nearly 300,000 tons of sand are to be moved from the Santa Ana River outlet and placed on Newport beaches through the end of January. It's the equivalent of a football field filled with three and a half feet of sand.

While the primary emergency is the eroding beach, Foley said it's also important to clear sand from the riverbank so flood channels remain clear for stormwater flow.

Earlier this week, Orange County declared a state of emergency after powerful surf caused coastal damage in Dana Point, Laguna Beach, and San Clemente.

In Dana Point, 10 homes were red-tagged, and seven others were yellow-tagged from ocean damage.

San Clemente has approved more money on top of the millions already spent to replenish sand. There's recently been severe damage at North Beach near the San Clemente Pier.