Deep Into the Bay

NEWPORT BEACH —  Armed with paint brushes and canvases, 44-year-old Robin Hall set out Saturday to help save Upper Newport Bay.

Hall, of Capistrano Beach, was among nearly 30 Orange County artists who set up their easels along scenic Back Bay in Newport Beach to paint vistas of this ecologically sensitive reserve. Their works were then displayed and sold Saturday evening at an art show to help raise money for the $5.4-million dredging project, which aims to protect the bay by flushing out the silt and sediment buildup.

“I grew up here,” Hall said, donning a wide straw hat to keep the sun out of her eyes as she painted a corner view of a bluff. “The dredging will allow us to preserve this beauty.”

At sunrise, artists with the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. had scattered around the bay to capture images of the chocolate brown marshes, mauve and beige shades of the bluffs, golden horizons and ducks wading in the still water.

“These are wonderful open spaces for the public to enjoy,” said San Clemente artist Mar Paynes, as she painted a scene of a lavender beach off the bay. “This is all we have, so we have got to take care of it.”

Joggers, bikers and strollers getting their morning exercise stopped in their tracks and looked on as the artists stroked their canvases. One young man, with spiky platinum blond hair, sidled up to artist Jackie Lee, 57, and asked if her work was for sale.

Flattered by his interest, she told him about the “Images Back Bay” art show that would take place that evening at a local museum. He watched as Lee took her pallet knife and added hues of green to a robust palm tree perched in the middle of her canvas.

“It’s really nice when people come speak to the artists,” Lee said, as she mixed vibrant colors on her pallet. “We all can share in this gorgeous spot.”

But the bay is being threatened by urban runoffs that clog its waters. Rainstorms cause debris from development projects across the county to flow into the bay. The bay’s elevation is rising because of the gushing mud and dirt. Even boaters are having difficulty navigating it.

The largest estuary in Southern California, the bay attracts more than 200 species of birds, including the light-footed clapper rail. It also provides an important habitat for the many fish that swim into the calm waters to lay their eggs.

But the population of wintering birds has dwindled in the past few years, as the mud slowly covers their food supply.

It has been 11 years since the bay was dredged. By raising enough funds, the city will be able to pull out more than 800,000 cubic yards of mud from the Back Bay and dump it about 4 miles out to sea. The project is short $3 million.

At Saturday’s art show, 15% of the painting sold was donated to the dredging project.

“I hate to see [the bay] get any worse,” said artist Carole Cooke, who grew up in the area when the waters were much deeper, allowing boats and water-skiers to zip through. “There used to be big rocks here I would climb with my friends to look for crabs. But not anymore.”

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Watershed Moment

Dredging began Friday to deepen Newport Bay. The shallow basin, which has been filling with silt, has been creating problems for boaters and wildlife. Silt gathers naturally as dirt carried by the San Diego Creek and fans out across the bottom of the bay but does not wash out with the tidal flow.

Tidal Flow: The bay shoreline rises and falls with the tide, about 10 feet each day.

Restricted flow: As sediment fills the basin, habitat requiring saltwater dries out. Species in those areas may die or be forced to relocate.

Normal flow: Dredging the area will restore the original habitat.

Removing Silt

1. As extended legs provide stability, a clam-shaped bucket drags along bottom, gathering silt. When filled, the bukcet is reased by deck winches and emptied into barge.

2. Loaded barge is towed 4 miles southwest of Newport Beach; exact dump location is pinpointed via satellite.

Cost: Total of $5.4 million; county to pay $3 million and state $2.4 million

Load: About 800,000 cubic yards will be removed, taking about a year

Fast Facts: How much is 800,000 cubic yards of silt? Some idea of the size:

* Enough to fill about 40,000 dump trucks

* Will take more than 400 barge trips from bay to ocean

Source: City of Newport Beach and county Department of Harbors, Beaches and Parks