NEWPORT BEACH : Hearing to Study Dredging Project

A special public hearing will be held tonight to discuss a plan to dredge and maintain a channel in Upper Newport Bay between the Coast Highway bridge and the lower boundary of the state ecological preserve.

The Army Corps of Engineers is sponsoring the meeting as part of its study on the dredging project and is seeking public input on its plan.

The proposal, which is still in the preliminary stages, calls for a 250-foot-wide, 15-foot-deep channel in the upper part of the bay, roughly between the bridge and the preserve. Dredging the channel may be needed to rid the area of silt and sediment that has accumulated and could cause navigational problems and storm damage.

The public meeting on the plan will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Newport Beach City Council Chambers, 3300 Newport Blvd. A representative of the Corps of Engineers will give a presentation of the project, and consider questions and suggestions for alternative plans at the meeting.

The Corps will conduct a yearlong study on the feasibility of the project, and other public meetings may be scheduled, said Pam Castens, a spokeswoman for the project.