A total of 45 Eco-Mooring Systems are being added adjacent to Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier in Long Beach, California as part of an effort to make the area more boater-friendly. Unlike most piers on the West Coast, Belmont Pier is protected by a breakwater that acts as a barrier reef providing calm waters much unlike the piers in the surrounding area. For that reason it has the potential to become a huge recreational boating destination, said Long Beach businessman Mile O'Toole, and these mooring systems are the first critical steps toward achieving this.

Mooring tests were conducted and the Eco-Mooring System was chosen as the preferred system. Unlike traditional moorings, which are connected to large cement blocks that scrape the ocean floor and cause damage to the marine ecosystem, each of the Eco-Moorings are directly attached to the bottom with a 10 foot long helix screws. This system reduces environmental damage yet excels in strength and durability.

O'Toole and his business partner Fred Khammer owner of Alfredo's Beach Club won the bid to operate Belmont Pier ten years ago. They began to transform the Pier into an exciting boating destination by adding a special event venue, restrooms, handicap access and fishing areas. But the biggest and most important addition will come with the 45 guest moorings. Nine moorings have already been installed and the remainder are planned to be installed by April, 2014.

"The pier right now is simply something to walk to the end of and come back," O'Toole said. "What we want is a place where people can come on and off their boats, kind of like Avalon."

Eco-Mooring Systems will aid in the transformation of the Belmont Pier, transitioning it into a new, up and coming boating destination. This project will create a place for visitors and tourists to enjoy while also preserving the Long Beach marine life.