Historical Human Impacts on Upper Newport Bay

James Irvine, of the Irvine Company, purchased Upper Newport Bay in 1864. In the next few decades, the bay was home to a fishery. From 1933 to 1969, a saltworks produced salt for commercial use in the northern part of the bay. A company producing shell-based chicken feed supplement was located on Shellmaker Island, in the middle of Upper Newport Bay, until the 1980’s. This company dredged and dumped left-over dredge material in Upper Newport Bay. Furthermore, beaches, marinas, and recreation boating were introduced to the Bay starting in the 1950’s. The water quality in the bay is considered impaired by State and Federal standards, and swimming there has been disallowed since 1974. In the 1960’s, wetland areas in Newport Beach were destroyed by the construction of Fashion Island, UCI, and John Wayne Airport. And in 1968, San Diego Creek is re-fashioned so as to decrease flood threats in Orange County. Previously draining from 15 square miles, channels are added to the creek so that it drains from 154 square miles into Upper Newport Bay. However, some environmental groups began to call for the protection of remaining and ever-shrinking wetland areas. So in 1975, 752 undeveloped acres of Upper Newport Bay became an ecological reserve owned by the State of California Department of Fish and Game. Furthermore, the County of Orange was able to acquire 140 acres of land surrounding Upper Newport Bay, which became the Newport Bay Nature Preserve.