thelog.com
Long Beach Breakwater suffers $20 million-plus in damages
By Parimal M. Rohit
LONG BEACH — The Category 5 tropi- cal cyclone known as Hurricane Marie was not only a major threat to the coast of Baja California, but also a menace to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. At least 11 areas of the Port of Long
Beach’s middle breakwater suffered “major damage” by residual waves from Hurricane Marie between Aug. 26 and 30. Repairs to the most damaged areas of the middle breakwater, located on the western edge of the Port of Long Beach and one of three breakwa- ters in Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor, could cost at least $20 million, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) told The Log in an email. During a Sept. 16 meeting of the
Board of Harbor Commissioners, Jon Slangerup, the Port of Long Beach’s chief executive, told the panel another $4.4 million is needed for cleanup, including $600,000 to repair Nimitz Road and $3.5 million to fix a dike. Emphasizing the three breakwaters should be repaired immediately, Slangerup told the Board of Harbor Commissioners at least $3 million would be needed to cover private
property damages. Repair costs for the two other
breakwaters were not yet determined or reported as of press time. The middle breakwater is directly in
front of the Port of Long Beach and protects it from the Pacific Ocean. It was reportedly the hardest hit of the three breakwaters during four days of pounding waves causing “major dam- age” in 11 areas and “significant dam- age” to another 11 areas. Repairs for the middle breakwater alone could take two to three months, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. In front of the eastern section of the
Port of Long Beach, six areas of the Long Beach breakwater reportedly suf- fered “major damage” as a result of Hurricane Marie, with “significant damage” striking another four areas. The San Pedro breakwater in front of
the Port of Los Angeles did not suffer any “major damage” but was hit with “significant damage” in 11 areas thanks to being struck by powerful waves ema- nating from Marie, according to the Corps.
Another 39 areas at all three break- waters combined suffered “moderate damage,” according to Corps.
In an op-ed published Sept. 14 in the
Press-Telegram, Reps. Janice Hahn, D- Los Angeles, and Alan Lowenthal, D- Long Beach, stated the middle break- water is “the first line of defense” for the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and was, accordingly, in need of imme- diate repair. “The powerful waves caused damage
to numerous locations along the middle breakwater, including punching at least three large holes completely through,” Hahn and Lowenthal penned in their Press-Telegram op-ed, adding if repairs are not made, the region and nation could suffer economic damage. Hahn and Lowenthal continued the
Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles combines for $850 million of trade daily through its piers and wharves. “Each day that the ports are closed,
even partially, puts tremendous eco- nomic strain on thousands of Southern Californians, and hundreds of thou- sands of Americans across the nation,” Hahn and Lowenthal wrote. According to the Corps, the middle
breakwater is about 18,500 feet long and serves as a major structure that protects the Port of Long Beach. An estimated 1,550 feet of breakwa- ter suffered major damage, with anoth-
The Log • Sept. 26 - Oct. 9, 2014 • 5
er 850 feet significantly damaged. About 1,725 feet of breakwater is mod- erately damaged. The breakwaters were reportedly inspected between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4 by coastal engineers, ultimately finding the “structural integrity of the break- waters has been compromised.” Though the damage breakwaters
were deemed functional under current conditions by the Corps, Slangerup told the Board of Harbor Commissioners that functionality would decrease as wave heights increase during the fall and winter sea- sons. Accordingly, there is an increased risk of damages to the port infrastruc- ture, which would cause operations to be adversely delayed or negatively impacted. Even more, hurricane season is not
yet over.
As for the repair bill, officials are estimating $20 million for the middle breakwater (plus millions more for the other two) because of the difficulty in accessing the breakwater. “Since the breakwater is not acces-
sible by land, the method of repair will involve water-based equipment, con- sisting of a crane and rock barges,” the Corps stated. Doug Drummond, president of the
Board of Harbor Commissioners, said breakwaters are necessary infrastruc- ture to prevent heavy winter storms from damaging the port infrastructure and flooding local streets.
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