Spotlight on Ventura Harbor maintenance dredging EA

The Los Angeles District is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) for maintenance dredging within Ventura Harbor to evaluate potential environmental impacts of dredging and dredged material placement activities.

As part of its federal maintenance dredging program, the Corps proposes to perform annual maintenance dredging of littoral material within Ventura Harbor for a period of up to six years (fiscal years 2025 to 2030).

According to USACE, this includes maintenance of the Federal Navigation Channel, Entrance Channel, and Sand Traps, with placement activities of dredged material directly on adjacent beaches or in the nearshore area off McGrath State Beach, for beach nourishment purposes.

Design depths range between -12 to -40 feet mean lower low water (MLLW).

Materials would be excavated using either a hydraulic dredge, a clamshell dredge, or a combination of these dredge platforms, said USACE.

The maximum total amount of sediment that would be dredged over the six-year program period is 6,000,000 cubic yards (cy; up to 1,000,000 cy per year).

Comments on this public notice will be accepted through August 2, 2024.