State Asked to Order Relocation of Pump : Residents Seek Relief in Dredging

Playa del Rey residents have petitioned the California Coastal Commission for protection against noise and diesel fumes from a U.S. Corps of Engineers dredging project scheduled to resume at Marina del Rey in September.

Howard Bennett, president of the Playa del Rey Homeowners Assn., submitted the petition asking the commission to require that the diesel pump be moved farther south on Dockweiler State Beach to reduce the dredging project’s impact on nearby residences. The petition bears 28 signatures.

The County of Los Angeles and the U.S. Corps of Engineers must obtain Coastal Commission approval for the dredging, which is needed periodically to remove sand that builds up in navigational channels at Marina del Rey.

Larry Charness, planning chief for the county Department of Beaches and Harbors, said that because of repeated equipment failures, Dredge Master Associates of Richmond, Calif., was unable to complete the job in February and March as planned. Work was suspended March 30 to avoid disturbing the least tern nesting season, officials said.

During its two-month operation, the project drew complaints from neighboring residents who said they suffered headaches and nausea from diesel fumes generated by a huge pump on the beach in front of their homes.

Noise Added Complaint

Residents also complained about noise from the pump, which was operated 24 hours a day.

In response to residents’ complaints, the South Coast Air Quality Management District investigated the project and issued a citation against the dredging company because it had failed to obtain a permit to operate a 625-horsepower engine on the beach.

Paul Berger, chief of the construction branch of the Corps of Engineers, said that after receiving neighbors’ complaints, the agency provided additional exhaust pipes to carry the fumes away from oceanfront residences and installed a large muffler to quiet the engine.

An April 1 staff report to the county Small Craft Harbor Commission said that because of neighbors’ objections, it is “improbable” that 24-hour operations will be allowed when the project resumes.

Dredge Master estimates that 30 to 45 days of work remain in the project, which was funded through a $1.1-million contract from the Corps of Engineers and $175,000 from the county.

Residents said that they are alarmed at the prospect of more dredging this fall.

The plan to resume in September “is particularly alarming,” Bennett said. Because Southern California’s fall weather is usually hot, residents keep their windows open and this would subject them to noise and fumes from the dredging equipment, he said. The beaches also are usually crowded in September, and the equipment would disturb visitors, he said. Residents have asked the commission to require that the pumping equipment be located “a substantial distance from the houses, to the south,” and that dredging be postponed until winter.