O&M - Morro Bay Harbor

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION:  

Morro Bay Harbor is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco in San Luis Obispo County.  The project consists of the Entrance Channel, the Main Channel, the Navy Channel, and the Morro Channel. The harbor is a Critical Harbor of Refuge for the region.  The U.S. Coast Guard is stationed in the harbor, executing its homeland security mission.  The City of Morro Bay Harbor Patrol also operates in the harbor, providing search and rescue, law enforcement operations, and they support the homeland security mission. The harbor is also home for commercial fishing; more than 2.2 million pounds of fish were recorded in the 2011 fishing landing records.

AUTHORIZATION:

Rivers and Harbors Act of 1945.

ACTIVITIES FOR FY 2023: 

Funds will be used to perform maintenance dredging of the Entrance Channel and perform hydrographic surveys.

IIJA ACTIVITIES:

Carryover funds will be used to conduct an annual structure survey to track progression of failures.

FY24 PLANNED ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Optimal funds could be used to perform maintenance dredging of the Entrance Channel, S&A, environmental and engineering coordination during construction, and perform hydrographic surveys.

ISSUES AND OTHER INFORMATION:

The Harbor is located on a region where ocean wave and current actions are very severe during most of the year.  There is no detached breakwater at the harbor entrance to protect the vessel’s inbound and outbound operations.  The only protection for the vessels is the depth of the entrance to reduce some of the wave actions; therefore, maintaining an adequate depth at the entrance to the harbor is critical.

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST: Representative Carbajal (CA-24)