Channel Islands Harbor dredging will begin in mid-October

OXNARD—The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be at Channel Islands Harbor to dredge the harbor’s main channel, with the hydraulic dredge H.R. Morris scheduled to arrive early this month. Dredging of Channel Islands Harbor will begin later this month and continue through February 2021.

Dredged sand from Channel Islands Harbor will be redistributed to downcoast beaches, according to the Ventura County Harbor Department.

“Navigating the Channel Islands Harbor will continue to be safe and downcoast beaches will receive an influx of much-needed sand thanks to a dredging project that will soon be underway,” harbor staff said in a released statement. “The hydraulic dredge ‘H.R. Morris’ will be staging and conducting maintenance dredging of the Channel Islands Harbor entrance on a 24-hour basis. The dredging activity will be taking place in various locations in and around the harbor entrance and sand trap area of Hollywood Beach.”

Work is scheduled to start in mid-October, with equipment staging starting at the beginning of this month.

“The dredging project is scheduled to be completed in February 2021, but there is a chance inclement weather and/or equipment issues could extend the planned completion date,” harbor staff said.

Dredging at Channel Islands Harbor takes places every two years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has conducted dredging activities for decades, plans to dredge about 2 million cubic yards of sand. The dredged sand will then be pumped from Channel Islands Harbor to Port Hueneme, which is south of Oxnard.

Sand at Port Hueneme’s beaches erodes over time. Sand migration is a routine phenomenon along the coast.

Ventura County Harbor Department staff said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received $13 million in federal funding for Channel Islands Harbor’s dredging project; the funding is allocated to the Army Corps by Congress.

Congresswoman Julia Brownley represents the Channel Islands Harbor area in Washington, D.C.

Federal legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct dredging at the harbor.

“The harbor was designed to trap sand to prevent loss to the submarine canyon off of Port Hueneme and to provide dredged material for beach replenishment for downcoast beaches,” harbor staff said in a released statement. “The replenishment provides vital shore protection for downcoast facilities, including the Naval installations at Port Hueneme and Point Mugu, the Port of Hueneme, the city of Port Hueneme and our own Silver Strand beach.”

Channel Islands Harbor was last dredged between December 2018 and February 2019.