2008 Woodie Awards
Structure helps and hinders LB
Some propose lowering the breakwater 15 feet
Vince Camfield
Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: News
A local business group met on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at Frenchy's Bistro to discuss the future of the Long Beach breakwater, which spans about 2.2 miles and helps protect the Alamitos Peninsula from potential flooding.
An offshore breakwater is a man-made structure designed to decrease wave action, ultimately reducing coastal erosion.
Environmentalists, along with avid surfers, have demanded that changes be made to the breakwater. They blame it for stagnant pollution via the Los Angeles River and for the lack of waves. Some argue that any modifications would subject homes and businesses along the Alamitos Peninsula to flooding, as well as possibly interfering with the port's interests.
Among those who have called for the restoration of the breakwater is LBCC?Physical Geography professor Kim Hatch. "This is all a part of the bigger picture: restoration. The Colorado lagoon, the Los Cerritos Wetlands, I think it's going to improve the quality of life here in Long Beach," Hatch said.
Among the speakers at the Tuesday gathering was Gordana Kajer, vice chair of the Surfrider Foundation; Bud Johnson, former member of the Long Beach Marine Advisory Commission; and Preston Smith, Alamitos Peninsula resident and community leader.
Each speaker had the opportunity to present their interests on the future of the breakwater to a crowd of about 30 or so local residents and business owners. The forum served as an overview of dissenting views on the breakwater.
Kajer was the first to present, and played a 10-minute video montage of the breakwater's negative affects on our beaches. The video included photos from the 1930s, when the beaches were littered with local residents, as well as tourists. It also revealed how Long Beach was a preeminent location for surfing.
The video went on to explain that when the U.S. joined World War II in the 1940s, the federal government built the breakwater to protect naval ships from wave damage. Soon after the waves dissipated, pollution became prevalent and the beaches quickly emptied.
An offshore breakwater is a man-made structure designed to decrease wave action, ultimately reducing coastal erosion.
Environmentalists, along with avid surfers, have demanded that changes be made to the breakwater. They blame it for stagnant pollution via the Los Angeles River and for the lack of waves. Some argue that any modifications would subject homes and businesses along the Alamitos Peninsula to flooding, as well as possibly interfering with the port's interests.
Among those who have called for the restoration of the breakwater is LBCC?Physical Geography professor Kim Hatch. "This is all a part of the bigger picture: restoration. The Colorado lagoon, the Los Cerritos Wetlands, I think it's going to improve the quality of life here in Long Beach," Hatch said.
Among the speakers at the Tuesday gathering was Gordana Kajer, vice chair of the Surfrider Foundation; Bud Johnson, former member of the Long Beach Marine Advisory Commission; and Preston Smith, Alamitos Peninsula resident and community leader.
Each speaker had the opportunity to present their interests on the future of the breakwater to a crowd of about 30 or so local residents and business owners. The forum served as an overview of dissenting views on the breakwater.
Kajer was the first to present, and played a 10-minute video montage of the breakwater's negative affects on our beaches. The video included photos from the 1930s, when the beaches were littered with local residents, as well as tourists. It also revealed how Long Beach was a preeminent location for surfing.
The video went on to explain that when the U.S. joined World War II in the 1940s, the federal government built the breakwater to protect naval ships from wave damage. Soon after the waves dissipated, pollution became prevalent and the beaches quickly emptied.
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