City asked to OK reef expansion

June Casagrande

The creator of an artificial reef who caused the California Coastal

Commission to be ruled unconstitutional last year will ask the city’s

permission to expand his artificial marine habitat.

Rodolphe Streichenberger, principal of the Newport-based Marine

Forests Society, has asked the city for a permit to build an addition

to a system of tires, PVC tubing and plastic bags in 40 feet of water

more than 200 feet offshore between the Newport and Balboa Piers.

“The first experiment has been a success, so we want to expand on

it to achieve critical mass,” Streichenberger said.

The structure provides a place for seaweed to grow, creating

habitat for fish and other marine life. The city gave Streichenberger

a permit in 1995 to install the reef, but when the Coastal Commission

insisted Streichenberger get a permit from them as well, the parties

ended up in court and the commission ended up on the brink of

nonexistence.

The state Legislature is presiding over a reorganization of the

statewide commission, which is conducting business as usual in the

interim. Streichenberger said that, if the city grants the permits he

seeks, he plans to follow the rules and request a permit from the

commission.

“This will allow us to have a new discussion with the Coastal

Commission,” Streichenberger said. “We hope to convince them that the

experiment is useful and successful.”

The city’s Coastal/Bay Water Quality Citizens Advisory Committee

will consider the request at its meeting Thursday. Mayor Steve

Bromberg suggested Streichenberger take the matter to the committee

before bringing it to the City Council.

“That committee is a who’s who of water quality experts; they’re

our best resource for everything to do with the water,” Bromberg

said. “We will look at Mr. Streichenberger’s projects on the merits

of the project, regardless of what we think the Coastal Commission

will do.”

Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said the committee may want to

consider whether environmental studies should be done on the project.

“There’s a lot to think about, especially what it means to water

quality,” Kiff said. “We want to know whether there’s anything unsafe

about putting tires and plastic down there. Does the material leach

over time? Who decides when it should be removed? Who removes it? Who

monitors it?”

Streichenberger said the artificial structure he installed in the

mid-1990s is now home to about 40 different species of seaweed and

diverse species of fish.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].