Storm Delays Marina del Rey Dredging

MARINA DEL REY, California—A winter storm expected over the weekend has delayed until Monday the start of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) effort to remove sediment from Marina del Rey’s harbor, the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors announced today.

The project was expected to start today, but the threat of inclement weather scuttled the arrival of the Sea Horse dredge vessel and the beginning of operations to remove about a hundred Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of sediment, according to the USACE contractor handling the project.

The five-month maintenance dredging effort will remove 400,000 to 500,000 cubic yards of sediment accumulated at the Marina’s entrance and along the harbor’s north jetty, where shoaling has greatly reduced navigation for boaters and first responders. The dredging operation by the Sea Horse with its clamshell bucket will begin along the north jetty following equipment inspections.

As the Sea Horse dredges, the sediment will be loaded onto a dump scow, the Robert L, and deposited in the Pacific Ocean nearshore of Dockweiler State Beach, just north of Imperial Highway in Playa del Rey. The Robert L is expected to make approximately four to five trips per day.

The equipment and 24-hour dredging work may make certain portions of the harbor entrance impassible for periods of time. For this reason, boaters with accessibility questions or concerns are encouraged to check DBH social media sites or contact Harbormaster Sgt. Ron Nohles at rcnohles@lasd.org; 310-482-6000 (Office); 323-893-6803 (Cell)

The dredging project budgeted at $7.18 million will be funded through Federal Budget appropriations.  The project will ensure safe navigation of the harbor entrance for the U.S. Coast Guard and other first responders, as well as for the roughly 4,300 recreational vessels docked in the Marina.

For more information, please visit beaches.lacounty.gov/dredging.

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