Manson Construction, together with the Army Corps’ Los Angeles District and in coordination with the County of Ventura, is performing maintenance dredging near the entrance of Channel Islands Harbor.
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 am to 7 pm, reported the Corps.
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, added USACE.
The Corps estimates that the contractor will dredge 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.