Officials tour Santa Cruz Harbor dredging operations

The Army Corps’ San Francisco District yesterday welcomed South Pacific Division Commander BG Antoinette Gant and SPD Regional Programs Director Mr. John Moreno for a tour of key projects in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

In the morning, they were joined by District Commander LTC Kevin Arnett, SPN staff, and representatives from Santa Cruz Harbor for a tour of ongoing dredging operations there.

Dredging of the harbor is required because of the constant easterly movement of sand along the coast and thus, across the harbor entrance. Such movement is generated by the ongoing forces of waves and currents.

Over the last week, the crew has made significant progress deepening the center of the entrance channel. However, shallow conditions still exist on the west side, extending outward across the entrance.

Later in the afternoon, the group traveled to the Pajaro/Watsonville Area to meet with city and county leaders and non-federal partners to get a first-hand look at the Pajaro River Levee System, where the Corps is partnering on a multi-benefit project to reduce flood risk to surrounding residential and agricultural land and enhance the environment.