$35K grant has Newport Beach better prepared for an oil spill in harbor and beaches

NEWPORT BEACH — If there’s an oil spill in Newport Harbor or in waters near local beaches, the city has new resources to respond immediately.

Last week, Newport Beach officials unveiled an oil spill response trailer with 1,000 feet of containment boom, absorbent materials and other gear for quick deployment in the harbor or in the event of an on-water spill.

The trailer comes to Newport as part of a $35,000 grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response. The grant is one of more than 50 the agency has awarded to local governments statewide over 12 years. Terminals and refineries charge owners of crude oil and petroleum products a per-barrel fee to fund the office and its programs.

The grant also includes funding to train Harbor Department staff and lifeguards.

“Being able to organize a rapid response, getting a floating boom and absorbent materials to a spill location in the harbor quickly, improves our chances to contain and minimize impacts these types of spills can have on wildlife, public and private property, as well as recreational and economic activities that take place every day in Newport Harbor,” said Kurt Borsting, Newport’s new harbor master.

The containment boom material, line and anchoring equipment can be used to frame a spill and keep it from spreading. The trailer also is stocked with other supplies, including sausage-shaped mesh booms that contain absorbent fill designed to soak up motor oil and fuel.

The harbor — which houses 9,000 boats — is one of the largest on the West Coast. The Back Bay of Newport Harbor, where the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and Ecological Reserve draw naturalists and scientists from all over the world, is home to more than 35,000 migratory birds and more than 200 endangered plant and animal species. There also are 1,000 acres of coastal wetlands.

The last most major oil spill off the Orange County coast took place in 1990, when a tanker ran aground and spilled almost 9,000 barrels of crude oil off Huntington Beach.

“Within Newport Harbor, there’s the potential for smaller-scale spill incidents associated with recreational boats, commercial vessels and fuel docks,” Borsting said. “Having this new equipment along with the training will put Newport Beach in a better position to respond should we experience such an incident.”