Congressman Lowenthal Helps Secure $7.74 in Funding to Keep Queensway Bay Channel Open

Congressman Alan Lowenthal has helped secure an additional $7.74 million for much-needed dredging of the Queensway Bay channel, which sits at the mouth of the Los Angeles River in Long Beach. The funding is in addition to more than $5 million already secured by the Congressman and the City of Long Beach for initial dredging work, which is set to begin soon.  All told, the combined funding will allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to completely clear a full navigable channel by removing years of sediment build-up from the frequent silting that occurs as debris and sediment flows down and out of the L.A. River.

"The Queensway Bay channel is a key waterway in our area and keeping it open is critical to the thousands of recreational boaters who rely on it each year," Congressman Lowenthal said.

Silting in the Queensway Bay channel can negatively impact navigation for vessels launching from Long Beach's South Shore Launch Ramp, located in the channel. Nearly 10,000 vessels launch from this ramp per year and require a clear channel to safely maneuver, and 600,000 people rely on the channel for transportation and tourism each year.

Dredging must be completed every three to five years to keep the channel clear, but due to the fact that that maintenance dredging was not kept up, the channel has been in danger of silting to the point of becoming impassible by marine craft.

"The City of Long Beach is thrilled to see that through the leadership provided by Congressman Lowenthal, Congress has passed a budget bill that includes $7.7 million for dredging the federal channel in the Los Angeles River Estuary in 2015," says Mayor Robert Garcia.  "The City and Congressman Lowenthal have been working closely together over the past two years to ensure that sufficient federal funds are invested in maintaining navigability in the federal channel.  This is a safety matter, and also a matter of economic importance, as the federal channel is the only path of travel between Catalina Island and Long Beach."

The funding was included in Congress's fiscal year 2015 funding package as part of a request by the Congressman and the City of Long Beach. The House today passed and sent the "CRomnibus" funding package to the Senate, which is expected to soon pass and send to the President's desk for his signature. The funds will then become available to the Army Corps.

"I am proud to have worked diligently with appropriators, The U.S. Army Corps, the City of Long Beach, and the City of Avalon to secure funding for the Army Corps to complete dredging of the channel, and I want to thank each of them for helping to make this happen," Congressman Lowenthal said.

The Queensway Bay channel serves as an important link between Long Beach and Catalina Island. Over 600,000 total passengers travel through this passage every year, making ferry service between Catalina Island and Long Beach, the second most used ferry system in California.

The commuter ferries to Catalina Island alone provide a significant economic benefit to both the Southern California region and Catalina Island. Any service interruption between Long Beach and Avalon has an immediate negative economic impact on both communities, as well as creating an undue hardship for commuters and Catalina residents.

The House passed the funding bill, H.R. 83, by a vote of 219 to 206. Congressman Lowenthal voted 'no' on the bill in its final form.