thelog.com Ventura Harbor battles shoaling


Stan Whisenhunt Special to The Log


VENTURA — Heavy shoaling due to recent storms and high surf has caused hazardous conditions in Ventura Harbor’s entrance. Ventura Port District officials, working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard have launched a two- phased program to address safety issues and to ensure that the upcom- ing dredging operation that is already scheduled can be expanded to address the current safety issue, at press time. Recreational boaters have been


warned by Ventura Harbor Patrol to not venture out of the harbor; com- mercial fishermen were advised to pro- ceed at their own risk. The year’s first sailboat race at the


harbor, Ventura Yacht Club’s PHRF Regatta 1, was cancelled and will be rescheduled. The second race of the year, Pierpont Bay Yacht Club’s Spring Series 1, scheduled for Feb. 13, will be delayed if necessary. Harbormaster John Higgins has met with the managers of the harbor’s mari- nas and local yacht clubs to brief them on the situation and to advise their boaters to stay out of the entrance. He is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to issue warnings to commercial fisher- men, going so far as to prepare warn-


the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who are responsi- ble for the dredging of the harbor, to help secure an additional $2 million for dredging. The Corps of Engineers


Boaters and fishermen are warned to stay out of the entrance of Ventura Harbor as heavy shoaling has created dangerous condi- tions in the area.


ing fliers in Vietnamese to be sure local fishermen in the area understand the safety issued posed by heavy shoaling. Meanwhile, Dredging Manager


Richard Parsons and Port Commissioners Everard Ashworth and Greg Carson have been meeting with


recently issued a dredging contract to Manson Company, which is scheduled to start dredging the harbor on Feb. 9. In light of the safe- ty issues posed by the heavy shoaling, Manson Company operators now hope to have the dredge in place as early as Feb. 1, depending on sea con- ditions. The dredge is cur- rently in Long Beach under- going repairs and could arrive at Ventura Harbor in a day’s travel if sea conditions become favorable. The depth of the entrance channel, normally about 40 feet, is now 14 feet and nar- row to the point that two boats could not safely pass


one another in the entrance, according to Higgins. The district estimates there are 900,000 cubic yards of sand in the harbor sand trap and


entrance. “While the situation will continue to deteriorate,” Parsons said, “our team


Ventura Harbor to install concrete docks


Coastal Commission approves harbor’s plan to do away with wooden docks.


By Parimal M. Rohit


SAN DIEGO — The California Coastal Commission approved on Jan. 14 a Ventura Port District plan to replace existing wooden docks with precast concrete float docks. Commission staff said the concrete floating docks would better accommo- date commercial fishing slips but reduce the overall number of slips at


Ventura Harbor Village Marina. Portions or all of docks C, D, G and H will be upgraded and reconfigured. “The proposed reconfiguration will


reduce the overall number of slips within the marina and has the poten- tial to impact the availability of com- mercial fishing and recreational boat- ing opportunities within the Ventura Harbor,” commission staff stated. “However the proposed reconfigura- tion’s reduction in the number of smaller sized slips in the 35 to 40 foot range and addition of larger sized slips in the 60 to 65 foot range will better accommodate the change needs of the


harbor’s commercial fishing fleet and allow the marina greater flexibility in mooring a variety of boat sizes includ- ing those in the range of 35 feet to 40 feet.” Other marinas in the harbor would have slips available for boaters impact- ed by these changes, according to commission staff. “There are also sufficient vacant slips within the Ventura Harbor, Channel Islands Harbor and Seabridge/Westport Harbor at Mandalay Bay to accommodate cur- rent and foreseeable future demand by smaller sized boats,” commission staff said. Port officials informed the Coastal


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Commission the wooden docks are suffering from internal deterioration and upgrading those docks would improve accessibility and circulation. “The applicant has indicated that while the external appearance of the docks appears to be in fair to good condition, there is strong evidence that there is a considerable amount of inte- rior deterioration,” commission staff stated in its report to commissioners. “Several of the 4-foot wide fingers at G and H docks were noted in the appli- cant’s dock condition assessment to be unstable and unsafe to pedestrians. The proposed project … includes a 109-foot extension between docks C and D that will be occupied by Ventura Boat Rentals and improve the accessi-


bility and circulation of that visitor- serving facility.” Port officials and commission staff added fishing vessels larger than what the marina was designed for are actively using the docks. Corroded nails and metal brackets were recently visible and indicate the internal dock framing has been compromised, the commission staff report stated. “Demolition of the existing deterio-


rated docks and construction of the proposed docks will require temporari- ly relocating moored ships and will have temporary impacts to commer- cial and recreational slip availability within the marina,” commission staff said. “To mitigate the impacts of slip availability, the project will occur in phases over the course of several years. Demolition and construction will focus on one dock at a time.” Ventura Port District officials will have to conduct eelgrass and pre-con- struction Caulerpa taxifolia surveys and comply with construction respon- sibilities and debris removal as a con- dition of the commission’s approval. The harbor is home to about 1,400


boat berths, a boat launch ramp and repair yard, fuel docks, charter fishing operations and Harbor Patrol. Ventura Harbor Village Marina, which was built in 1981 and 1982, features 144 boat slips and accommodates vessels between 30 and 100 feet. There are also two boat hoists.


is putting everything in place to get this remedied as soon as possible.” The Corps contract calls for dredg- ing 460,000 cubic yards of sand. If the district is successful in gaining the additional $2 million, 340,000 more cubic yards of sand could be dredged. “The challenge is to get that addi- tional money into the contract very quickly,” Parsons said. Port District officials and commis- sioners have been meeting with senior commanders and staff of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District to coordinate the response to this emergency. Higgins said three factors are mak- ing the entrance very dangerous: unusually large waves and swells from the El Niño condition; shoaling; and, a strong current running along the inside of the breakwater. Tall ships, which had been at the harbor as a visitor attraction, left for Channel Islands Harbor on Jan. 21. “We think it is in everyone’s best


interest for the tall ships to leave now to avoid the potential of having them stuck here through early February,” said Port District General Manager Oscar Peña. Businesses at and around the


waterfront village are still open despite difficulties experienced at the harbor’s entrance, Peña said.


The Log • Jan. 29 - Feb. 11, 2016 • 13


Ventura Harbor Patrol photo


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