Huntington Beach : $25,000 in Temporary Repairs Voted for Pier

The wave-battered Huntington Beach Pier will get $25,000 in temporary repairs as soon as storm-generated waves calm down enough to allow divers to dock a boat and work beneath the structure.

The City Council allocated the funds Monday and stressed that the pier should also be evaluated to determine the need for permanent repairs. “Right now, the loose pilings need to be removed so they don’t cause any more damage,” said Paul Cook, director of public works.

Cook said a section of four 18-inch-by-80-foot pilings had been loosened by the storm and one ripped loose and is still missing. “It may wash up in Newport Beach,” he said. Another section of nine pilings had been “displaced” and could possibly be maneuvered back into place.

The pier underwent about $1.3 million in repairs after a storm last year, which included new pilings and a new restaurant at the end of the pier, with cash coming from a combination of city, county and insurance funds.

The damage this year, according to city officials, was caused largely because the 12- to 20-foot waves struck from the west and rolled in unobstructed through the Catalina Channel, rather than from the customary south or northwest direction.

Divers probably won’t be able to work beneath the pier for about a week, said Cook. Ten-foot waves were still breaking at the end of the pier Tuesday afternoon.