Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors Additional Plan Testing: Numerical Modeling of Tidal Circulation and Water Quality

Abstract : Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors are located adjacent to each other in San Pedro Bay on the California coast and share a common breakwater system that encloses one of the largest harbor systems in the world. Over the years, the harbors have expanded to meet the demands of world commerce and national security by deepening channels and using the dredged material to create additional landfill for facilities. Thousands of acres of landfill have created the harbor complex as it exists today. To meet future needs, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have recently undertaken a long range cooperative planning effort known as the 2020 Plan. A special study known as the Operations, Facilities, and Infrastructure (OFI) Study was performed to determine the cargo handling requirements. The study determined a variety of phased plans which could accommodate future needs. Incorporated in the plans are deepening of existing channels, creation of new landfill, and new development on existing land. The purpose of the study described in this report is to determine the impact of Phase 1 of three different plans (Schemes A, C, and D), suggested by the OFI study, on three dimensional hydrodynamics and water quality by comparing circulation, flushing, and dissolved oxygen resources under existing and planned conditions. This objective will be accomplished by applying state of the art, 3-D numerical hydrodynamic and water quality models.