STATEMENT OF LARRY M. BAGLEY The Honorable J. Bennett Johnston, Chairman Subject: Experimental Sand Bypass, Oceanside, California The City of Oceanside is requesting that Congress appropriate $2.7 million in the federal FY91 budget for the operation of the Oceanside sand bypass system. The sand bypass, which was directed by Congress in 1981, will ensure continual replenishment of Oceanside's beach, which has been seriously eroding as a result of the federal construction of the Camp Pendleton harbor during World War II. The bypass will also eliminate the need for frequent, costly maintenance dredging of Oceanside Harbor, which is done at full federal expense. The initial phase of the sand bypass began operation in June, 1989. The Corps of Engineers has termed the initial operation as an unqualified success, and in fact, the pumps have worked even more efficiently than anticipated. A status report prepared by the Los Angeles District has found that the bypass system is more cost effective than conventional dredging. Upon installation of the fluidizers proposed in Phase II of the project, the cost effectiveness of the sand bypass is expected to be further enhanced. Congress appropriated $2.6 million in FY90 for operation of the sand bypass and construction of Phase II of the project, installation of the fluidizers. However, the Corps of Engineers has withheld allocation of funds to begin construction of the fluidizers pending approval of the status report on the system by the Office of the Chief of Engineers and verification that funds will be available to operate the system in FY91. The $2.7 million "capability" for the project in FY91 is proposed to be allocated as follows: The City of Oceanside requests that the Subcommittee further direct the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction of Phase II (the installation of the fluidizers) of the sand bypass with the monies appropriated for that purpose in FY90. The City also requests that the Committee direct the Corps of Engineers to initiate construction on Phase III (the ultimate sand bypass system design) in FY91. Congress previously has noted that Oceanside suffers severe economic losses due to the harbor shoaling and beach erosion problems. Operation of the sand bypass system, including the fluidizers, is needed immediately to provide continuous maintenance dredging for a vital military installation, Camp Pendleton Harbor, as well as a U. S. Coast Guard port of refuge. The appropriation will also prevent extensive deterioration of the existing installation. A lack of maintenance in FY1991 could make startup of the system at a later date cost prohibitive. Data from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers show that the sand bypass is a cost effective alternative to maintenance dredging. The technology developed through the Oceanside sand bypass experiment can lead to a reduction in federal maintenance dredging costs nationwide. The sand bypass will also spur the economic recovery of Oceanside's deteriorated shorefront, and allow a construction moratorium imposed by the Coastal Commission along a one-half mile stretch of coastline to be lifted. The Oceanside sand bypass has universal support from local residents, elected officials and down coast communities. We ask the Subcommmittee's support of an appropriation for this vital project. Oceanside Harbor Maintenance Dredging The Oceanside Harbor District, City of Oceanside, California, urges your support of the Administration's proposed appropriation of $65,000 in Fiscal Year 1991 to fund engineering and design for future maintenance dredging of the Oceanside Harbor entrance. Future dredging will be required to alleviate inner-harbor surge generated from shoaling at the harbor entrance and for safe navigation of the entrance channel. In 1942, the Del Mar Boat Basin was constructed by the Department of the Navy at Camp Pendleton. The basin was constructed for training amphibious forces of the Marine Corps. Being built as a war-time measure, little consideration was given to the effect of the harbor structures on the surrounding physical environment. As a result, sedimentation in the harbor entrance and erosion of downcoast beaches was noticed almost immediately. Maintenance dredging of Oceanside Harbor should continue to be a Federal responsibility in accordance with the 1965 River and Harbor Act. Oceanside Harbor serves as the entrance to USMC Camp Pendleton for military vessels and provides berthing for the Coast Guard cutter Point Hobart. More than one-quarter of harbor traffic is commercial fishing boats or military vessels. Without your support, many of the harbors of refuge which cannot support their dredging requirements, such as Oceanside, would be jeopardized. I urge your support for continued Federal funding of maintenance dredging projects for small craft harbors and harbors of refuge. This request is submitted on behalf of the Oceanside Harbor District and its governing body, the City Council of the City of Oceanside, sitting as the Harbor District Board of Directors. Storm Damage Reduction and The Oceanside Harbor District, City of Oceanside, California, respectfully requests that the United States Congress appropriate $257,000 in Fiscal Year 1991 to fund completion of preconstruction engineering and design (PED), including plans and specifications, for the Oceanside Harbor Breakwater Modifications Project. The Administration's proposed appropriation of $175,000 in Fiscal Year 1991 will not fund completion of PED. Delaying completion of the project will only increase costs. With the requested funding, PED can be completed in Fiscal Year 1991. This project modifies the protective structures of Oceanside Harbor to reduce storm damages in the harbor and to improve the safety of the entrance channel for navigation. to the configuration of the harbor entrance, waves from the h and southwest penetrate relatively uninterrupted through main channel entrance and towards the inner harbor. mated average annual losses from the frequent repair and acement of floats, piles and revetment, and damages to ercial and recreational craft in the harbor, are $517,000. s also frequently break at the harbor entrance due to a ination of shoaling and high waves and results in hazardous gation in the channel. This results in lost income to harbor ations of $87,000 annually and vessel damages in the entrance 50,000 annually. Thirteen persons have died at Oceanside or attempting to navigate in the entrance since 1963. recommended plan involves extending the north breakwater 300 , and constructing a 180 foot stub groin off of the south y. The plan also recommends expanding an advance maintenance in the entrance channel in order to maintain the authorized h of minus 20 feet MLLW. These modifications will correct serious surge problem which causes extensive property damage in the Harbor and threatens the safety of both military, ercial and recreational boaters. This problem is icularly critical for the commercial vessels which use nside Harbor as a home port on a year-round basis, and must on a safe port of refuge for their livelihood. We are ently expending over $8.6 million of public funds to abilitate the docking system and shoreline protection within Harbor. Without correction of the breakwater defects, the espan of these improvements will be cut in half. U.S. Army Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors (BERH) recommended approval and construction of this project. They e stated that the storm damage and navigation conditions at anside Harbor are high priority problems and significant ugh to warrant Federal involvement. project has a Benefit to Cost Ratio (BCR) of 1.5:1.0. The mated total cost of the project is $4,970,000 of which 263,000 is federal and $1,707,000 is non-federal. We, as the al sponsor, are willing and financially able to provide the ired cost sharing of the project and are anxious to move ward with the improvements. requested improvements will also protect the U.S. Army Corps Engineers' Experimental Sand Bypass System, which sits pletely unprotected in the mouth of the harbor. addition to commercial fishing facilities, the Oceanside por also supports numerous commercial establishments, which on the safety and adequacy of boating facilities for their omic well-being. Oceanside Harbor is also the only port of uge between Dana Point and San Diego, and is home base for the st Guard cutter Point Hobart. U.S. Navy vessels entering the C Camp Pendleton boat basin pass through the same breakwater cance as boaters entering Oceanside Harbor. se breakwater modifications, which are for navigation safety sons and the prevention of wave-induced damage, are ropriate for Federal involvement. The Harbor District is ling to provide our fair share of project cost and requests t the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Civil Works Division, be ected to proceed with the project. rge your support to ensure that Oceanside Harbor and USMC Camp dleton boat basin have a safe entrance. s request is submitted on behalf of the Oceanside Harbor strict and its governing body, the City Council of the City of eanside, sitting as the Harbor District Board of Directors. RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA, SHORELINE PROJECTION STATEMENT OF JOHN TAGGART, MAYOR PRO TEM, CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA Mr. LANGNER. Next we have Mayor Pro Tem John Taggart, Rancho Palos Verdes. Mr. TAGGART. Mr. Chairman, I thank the committee for previous appropriations. You have made it possible for the secretary to conduct a coastline reconnaissance study at Portugese Bend in the city of Rancho Palos Verdes. Tidal action makes this project necessary. The city must depend on the Corps to begin a feasibility study of this worthy public works project. Mr. Chairman, this landslide poses a serious threat to the public interest: several hundred acres of marine environment and considerable public property. The city council deeply appreciates the support of the committee to solve this problem. Thank you. Mr. LANGNER. Next, we have the chairman-elect of C-MANC, Dan Allen, who is chief harbor engineer, Port of Long Beach. LOS ANGELES-LONG BEACH HARBORS, CA, NAVIGATION STATEMENT OF E.D. ALLEN, CHIEF HARBOR ENGINEER, PORT OF LONG BEACH, CA Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for this opportunity. I have submitted a written statement for the record, and I would like to summarize. The development projects in the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles, which is a combined program, is very critical, we think, to the U.S. economy, both from customs receipts and the trade imbalance. We are after the last year of the feasibility study funding in fiscal year 1991. We have been doing this since 1964 and we would like to get this last year's funding so we can come to a conclusion on what exactly the Federal interest is so that we can get on and construct the project. We thank you very much for this opportunity. [The statement follows:] STATEMENT OF E.D. ALLEN OE. D. Allen, Chief Harbor Engineer for the Port of Long Beach, fornia. I have been authorized by the Board of Harbor Commissioners he City of Long Beach to represent the Port of Long Beach in regard ppropriations for the Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbors Navigation y, the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors Model Study programs. Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, in cooperation with the Corps ngineers, have developed a long-range master plan, referred to as 2020 Plan, which demonstrates the need for new navigation channels additional landfill development. This document is a product of the Angeles-Long Beach Harbors Navigation Study for future channels and fill development, which has been in process since 1964 by the U. S. Corps of Engineers. The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 orizes construction of this master plan project upon completion of a rable Chief's Report. The first step in this process is a ibility report, which is nearing completion. The Ports and the s will complete the feasibility study with a Chief of Engineers rt and initiate planning, engineering and design (PED) in fiscal 1991, including physical and numerical model testing and other ies needed for the permitting process. It is, therefore, urged that Committee approve an appropriation of $3,250,000 for fiscal year to complete the feasibility study and to initiate PED. Port of Long Beach has started the first phase of the 2020 Plan with truction of its Pier J expansion project, which includes dredging Long Beach Main Channel to at least a -76' depth. This increment of ging is being evaluated for Federal interest in the feasibility y because it permits deeper draft crude petroleum vessels to call at Port of Long Beach. The Water Resources Development Act of 1988 orized consideration of credit for any work constructed by the Federal interest that is associated with such a project which is r recommended by the Chief of Engineers and approved by the etary. Therefore, if it is determined that the dredging of Long h Main Channel is part of the recommended Federal project, Congress espectfully urged to credit the Port of Long Beach an amount equal he Federal share of the cost for such work. The Federal share is mated at $32,800,000, or 16% of the overall Pier J expansion project Water Resources Development Act of 1976, Section 123, authorized the of of Engineers to operate and maintain the Los Angeles-Long Beach or Hydraulic Model at the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways riment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi as part of the Los Angeles Long Beach Harbors Model Study. In the President's budget for cal year 1990, $930,000 was included and the funds have been opriated to upgrade that model, including accumulating data on tidal culation, wave energy, and ship motion in the San Pedro Bay area. s model study is essential to satisfy regulatory agency requirements to plan and engineer the expansion of the port complex and ociated navigation channels, as detailed in the Port's 2020 Plan. o, continuation of the wave data acquisition is essential to urately estimate the frequency of extreme wave energy events. These eling improvements provide for state of the art capabilities that can used on many harbor complexes. The Port, as the local agency, is eeing to assist in this effort by providing necessary support sonnel and equipment for the maintenance of the system. The Corps of ineers advises that this study must be funded for consecutive years useful results are to be obtained. Fiscal year 1991 would be the al effort in the five-year program. Therefore, Congress is pectfully requested to appropriate $760,000 for fiscal year 1991 to tinue this modeling study. |