Ken Kurtis
Contributor
As many of you know what is referred to as the Topaz Beach Sand
Renourishment in Aug/Sept 2012 caused havoc at Vets Park with visibility
basically gone for some time and trash left in the wake of the project
completion (though we can't conclusively prove it was from them).O
On November 28, 2012, the Corps' Contaminated Sediment Task Force (about 30
people all told including reps from EPA, NOAA, CA Coastal Commission and other
regulatory bodies) held their regular meeting and we were invited to come and
present our concerns about the project. FYI, this is, as far as I'm concerned,
an on-going thing and I don't feel this issue is put to rest yet.
Present at this meeting representing the dive community concerns were
myself and Roc Allen, along with Susie Santilena from Heal the Bay. These are
the official Corps summary notes of the comments made during the hour or so that
we all discussed this:
i. NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) expressed concern over trash
and debris observed on the seafloor at the temporary offshore disposal site and
Veterans Park submarine canyon during and immediately following the Corps
Marina del Rey Maintenance Dredging Project. Members of the Corps questioned the
project contractors, Anchor QEA and Dutra, regarding the disposal. Contractors
stated that during water quality monitoring and their observations of shoreline
nourishment, the sand at the surf line appeared clean and they were not aware of
debris being deposited there. During offshore disposal, sediment placement was
not visible and debris presence is not a part of standard water quality
monitoring, so no observation of the deposit was made below surface level. Sand
for the beach nourishment at the surf line was passed through screens, but the
offshore sand was not. During beach nourishment, the screens were clogged with
plastic and other debris numerous times.
ii. Ken Kurtis, a local diving instructor and dive business owner with
several decades experience with the site, described conditions at the site
before and after disposal. Roc Allen, another local diver,discussed the nature
and extent of trash observations and the cleanup operations the dive community
has been undertaking. From August 10, 2012 through October 15, 2012, Roc dove
the site bi-weekly. He set up two quadrants around the barge and found large
debris fields from 40 to 75-80 feet partially covered in sediment. These
observations contrast with the clean sand he saw prior to August. Samples of
collected plastic and other trash were passed around to illustrate the types of
debris collected by divers.i
ii. A map illustrating dive tracks made by NMFS personnel
investigating reported impacts was provided to the Corps. This
map accompanies two NMFS videos showing debris on both the
temporary offshore site and the submarine canyon slope.
iv. Larry Smith (Corps of Engineers) suggested that Veterans Park may be a
natural debris sink and that a combination of factors, including disposal, may
have led to the debris.
v. Bryant Chesney (NOAA) stated that proving a causative link between the
sediment disposal and debris to the satisfaction of the team may be difficult
given the absence of the establishment of a baseline or monitoring concurrent
with the project, and that discussion might better be focused on whether or not
this type of outcome is acceptable for beach nourishment activities. Members
discussed protocol which may be employed to prevent any such occurrence in
future projects.
vi. No conclusion regarding causation, mitigation or alterations to project
planning in the future were reached. The Corps thanked the dive community for
their contributions to both cleaning the site and awareness of a potential
impact. All parties agreed this project would require further discussion.
Video link (The Trashing of Vets Park): The trashing of Veterans Park HD 720P V2 - YouTube
- Ken
Renourishment in Aug/Sept 2012 caused havoc at Vets Park with visibility
basically gone for some time and trash left in the wake of the project
completion (though we can't conclusively prove it was from them).O
On November 28, 2012, the Corps' Contaminated Sediment Task Force (about 30
people all told including reps from EPA, NOAA, CA Coastal Commission and other
regulatory bodies) held their regular meeting and we were invited to come and
present our concerns about the project. FYI, this is, as far as I'm concerned,
an on-going thing and I don't feel this issue is put to rest yet.
Present at this meeting representing the dive community concerns were
myself and Roc Allen, along with Susie Santilena from Heal the Bay. These are
the official Corps summary notes of the comments made during the hour or so that
we all discussed this:
i. NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) expressed concern over trash
and debris observed on the seafloor at the temporary offshore disposal site and
Veterans Park submarine canyon during and immediately following the Corps
Marina del Rey Maintenance Dredging Project. Members of the Corps questioned the
project contractors, Anchor QEA and Dutra, regarding the disposal. Contractors
stated that during water quality monitoring and their observations of shoreline
nourishment, the sand at the surf line appeared clean and they were not aware of
debris being deposited there. During offshore disposal, sediment placement was
not visible and debris presence is not a part of standard water quality
monitoring, so no observation of the deposit was made below surface level. Sand
for the beach nourishment at the surf line was passed through screens, but the
offshore sand was not. During beach nourishment, the screens were clogged with
plastic and other debris numerous times.
ii. Ken Kurtis, a local diving instructor and dive business owner with
several decades experience with the site, described conditions at the site
before and after disposal. Roc Allen, another local diver,discussed the nature
and extent of trash observations and the cleanup operations the dive community
has been undertaking. From August 10, 2012 through October 15, 2012, Roc dove
the site bi-weekly. He set up two quadrants around the barge and found large
debris fields from 40 to 75-80 feet partially covered in sediment. These
observations contrast with the clean sand he saw prior to August. Samples of
collected plastic and other trash were passed around to illustrate the types of
debris collected by divers.i
ii. A map illustrating dive tracks made by NMFS personnel
investigating reported impacts was provided to the Corps. This
map accompanies two NMFS videos showing debris on both the
temporary offshore site and the submarine canyon slope.
iv. Larry Smith (Corps of Engineers) suggested that Veterans Park may be a
natural debris sink and that a combination of factors, including disposal, may
have led to the debris.
v. Bryant Chesney (NOAA) stated that proving a causative link between the
sediment disposal and debris to the satisfaction of the team may be difficult
given the absence of the establishment of a baseline or monitoring concurrent
with the project, and that discussion might better be focused on whether or not
this type of outcome is acceptable for beach nourishment activities. Members
discussed protocol which may be employed to prevent any such occurrence in
future projects.
vi. No conclusion regarding causation, mitigation or alterations to project
planning in the future were reached. The Corps thanked the dive community for
their contributions to both cleaning the site and awareness of a potential
impact. All parties agreed this project would require further discussion.
Video link (The Trashing of Vets Park): The trashing of Veterans Park HD 720P V2 - YouTube
- Ken
