LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, in coordination with the County of Ventura, is performing maintenance dredging near the entrance of Channel Islands Harbor.
Manson Construction of Seattle, the Corps' contractor, is completing the work.
Dredging began at the end of October and is expected to be completed in mid-January. The project is a 24/7 operation; however, land operating hours - the use of heavy equipment from the project on land - are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The dredge will be shut down for the holiday break from Dec. 23 to Jan. 4; however, during that time, a portable generator will be used to maintain continuous power to critical systems, and a small crew will remain on staff to monitor the equipment.
The Corps estimates dredging about 2 million cubic yards of sand during the project. Material dredged from the entrance of the harbor is pumped across the harbor entrance, down Silver Strand Beach and deposited a mile away, just to the south of the Port of Hueneme.
As of Dec. 9, about 1.3 million cubic yards of sand had been placed on Hueneme Beach. Placement of beach-quality material provides shoreline protection and is a benefit of the project.
Every two years, the Corps dredges the sand trap and channels near the entrance of Channel Islands Harbor. Dredging of the area has been conducted regularly since 1960.
For more information, contact Dena O'Dell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Public Affairs, at (213) 452-3925 or Dena.M.O'Dell@usace.army.mil.
Release no. 20-198