GENERAL INFORMATION
The Newport Beach Harbor is contained within Newport Bay. Newport
Bay is a combination of two distinct bodies of water - Lower Newport Bay and Upper Newport Bay.
Lower Newport Bay, referred to as the outer harbor, was formerly a coastal lagoon. It is four
miles long and is oriented parallel to the coastline. This lagoon was formed between 1824 and
1862 because of sand deposition from the Santa Ana River. Upper Newport Bay is geologically
much older than the Lower Bay, and it is essentially a submerged river valley formed by a precursor
to the Santa Ana River. Today, it comprises a marine salt marsh system. The lower portion of
the Upper Bay is heavily urbanized, and supports adjacent housing development, recreational
marinas, boat launch ramp facilities, and other commercial uses.
Newport Harbor and the adjoining coastal areas of Newport
Beach and Corona del Mar present significant recreational opportunities on a local and regional
level. The area serves as a major vacation destination within Southern California and the Southwest.
The Lower Bay, having an open-water area of about 600 acres, offers recreational opportunities
to a wide range of boating enthusiasts; from single-person rowboats to large sailing and motor
vessels that are capable of trans-ocean navigation. The local beach front communities also support
water recreational services, with tourism as one of the most important land use activities in
the regional area. These areas offer opportunities for bicycling, roller skating, rollerblading,
walking, as well as volleyball, picnicking, sunbathing, swimming, diving, and surfing.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Newport Bay is a combination of two distinct bodies of water - Lower Newport
Bay and Upper Newport Bay. Lower Newport Bay, referred to as the outer harbor, was formerly a
coastal lagoon. It is four miles long and is oriented parallel to the coastline. This lagoon was
formed between 1824 and 1862 because of sand deposition from the Santa Ana River. It is an extremely
busy recreational area for pleasure boating, swimming and tourism. Upper Newport Bay comprises
a marine salt marsh system. The lower portion of the Upper Bay is heavily urbanized, and supports
adjacent housing development, recreational marinas, boat launch ramp facilities, and other commercial
uses.
Several species of marine mammals are common to the harbor and vicinity. They
include the California sea lion, harbor seal, and several species of dolphins. Marine birds
found in the harbor are primarily spring and fall migrants or winter residents. Year-round residents
include several species of gulls, the western grebe and Brandt's and double-crested cormorants.
Grebes and seasonal migrants like surf scooters, red-breasted mergansers, and red-throated loons
forage in the calm, open subtidal waters of the harbor.
The following Federally-listed endangered and threatened
species are possible inhabitants in Newport Harbor: the California Brown Pelican, the California
Least Tern, and the American Peregrine Falcon, the Light Footed Clapper Rail, the Marbled Murrelet,
the Western Snowy Plover, the Tidewater Goby, and the Pacific Pocket Mouse.
DREDGING PROGRAM
To maintain federally authorized channel depths of -6.1 meters
(-20 feet) Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District,
has been instrumental in the removal of sediment from the lower portion of the Upper Bay Channel
to the Main Channel junction. The sediment control program in Newport Bay is ongoing with ocean
disposal proposed at the LA-3 disposal site.
