Following a meeting between Mayor Robert Garcia and Brig. Gen. Mark Toy in San Francisco, the City of Long Beach announced it had reached an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Study. The final cost agreement is to be signed in coming weeks.

The study will examine the feasibility of restoring the aquatic ecosystem of Long Beach by reconfiguring the breakwater. According to the city, the study will “evaluate opportunities for kelp, eelgrass and wetlands restoration within the East San Pedro Bay and make a strong push to increase water circulation, which could lead to increased wave activity.”

“I can’t thank the Army Corps enough for working with us to start this important and groundbreaking study,” Garcia stated in the city press release. “Improving the coastal experience and ecosystem in our city is a win for residents [and] visitors, and will be a boost to the Long Beach economy.”