After Brief Return, Breakwater Flag Coming Down Again

Although the American flag returned to the Marina del Rey breakwater last week after nearly a year’s absence, workers will be taking it down on Monday because of technical malfunctions in the new lighting system.

The Department of Beaches and Harbors estimates the flag will be reinstalled sometime this summer, according to DBH spokesperson Carol Baker.

Because of last year’s dredging project, that removed sediment that had accumulated in the channel over the past decade, the underwater electrical line that illuminated the flag had to be cut and the flag was taken down.

The dredging project removed about 250,000 cubic yards of sand from the Marina del Rey channel, which was brought to Redondo Beach and Dockweiler to replenish the beaches. The channel is now about 20 feet deep during low tide, whereas before dredging commenced, the water level was at time just over two feet, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. 

After the project was complete, DBH tried to install LED lights but they were not bright enough. On March 26, it hoped to have secured a temporary solutions until it acquired the proper permits to install a permanent lighting fixture.