Dog Beach is Getting Dredged (again)

Remember back in 2016 when the County dredged Dog Beach for the first time in 15 years?  Well, just three years later, they are doing it again.  Timing seems a bit weird, huh?

Just as the County Sheriffs began enforcing in the area, suddenly there was a notice to dredge again, as bad press began to brew.  Some may view this timing as merely coincidental.  Some may view doing a one-in-15-year job every 3 years as a cover for something more nefarious.  We’ll provide the facts let you decide on your own.

Last dredge, land was quite high, but this time, the beach is only inches above the sealevel– even at low tide.  So if there were a “flood event”, the water would simply go over the top of the sand.  Why are they dredging now?  We have our suspicions.

Last Dredge, the county took sand out from 10 feet out at 7 feet down from the jetties.  This year, we are not sure to what extent the dredging will continue, but it is slated to go into November, and workers will be there until 4pm each weekday– so if you are going to go, plan around that.

But what’s with the increased enforcement in the area, anyway?  That’s a long, long story in and of itself.  We’ll touch on that at a later time, but for now, I’ll tell ya a little secret: There’s still a section of county beach that you can use, which isn’t a section of Newport at all (so that means no tickets by Newport– as long as you are in the area!)

Here’s a map of who owns what land: 

If you are on the left of the blue line, you’re in county land.  Yes, even on the right-hand side of most of the jetty.  City patrols can’t ticket you in those areas.  BUT, if they catch you taking your dog to and from in the outside spots, they CAN ticket you.  So be vigilant.

Our strategy of working with the city on this has failed.  Mayor Diane Dixon (who is currently running for Assembly) has corrupted every promise she has made to preserve the area and has proudly announced how often they are ticketing people for using the location.  Due to this, we will be shifting tactics significantly from working with the city to doing something quite different.  We will unroll this plan in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, enjoy the beach, watch for the county and city ticketers  (county can ticket on the left of the blue line, and Newport can ticket on the right), and move locations appropriately if/when they show up.

The good news is that the wintertime always brings big north swells in, so even after they dredge these few inches of paradise off the face of the earth– it’ll all be back in just a few short months.

The fight continues!

If you would like to join the fight to save our beloved 103-year old dog beach, please make sure you (and your friends!) are signed up, here: http://savenewport.com/dogs

Comments

comments